JACK Cullen will not have to wait long for a chance to shine on the big stage after his next fight was confirmed.

Little Lever’s English middleweight champion was set to challenge for the Commonwealth title against Felix Cash on a major Manchester Arena show on July 6.

Cash damaged his hand however with other injuries then forcing the whole Sky Sports-televised show to be cancelled.

But promoter Eddie Hearn has acted swiftly and Cullen will now defend his title at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool on Friday, August 2.

The 25-year-old will face Brixton’s John Harding Jnr and look to make a statement in front of a wider audience.

Having plied his trade on smaller shows in the North West, winning the English belt against Jack Sellars at the Bolton Whites Hotel in May, Cullen will be hoping for a breakout night.

The Tommy Battel-trained fighter has lost just one of his 17 professional fights with his eight-round stoppage of Sellars in front of a raucous home crowd his seventh knockout.

Harding Jnr is unbeaten in eight with one draw on his record and is managed by heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte.

"The fight after this should be Cash when his hand recovers," said Cullen's manager Steve Wood.

"In a way these things are meant to be.

"He’s going to get an extra fight and extra experience on the big shows.

"It’s worked out well for Jack even though he wouldn’t say so because he was ready to fight on July 6.

"But you’ve got to look at the positives rather than the negatives and I think long term it will do him good."

The fight is part of Matchroom’s JD NXTGEN series and is headlined by home favourite Anthony Fowler taking on Blackpool’s former world title challenger Brian Rose, another fight that should have taken place on July 6.

Elsewhere on the card, Lewis Ritson takes on Joe Hughes and Robbie Davies Jnr, Martin Bakole and Sean McGoldrick are all in action.

The show is live on Sky Sports in the UK and DAZN in the US.