David Adeleye is hoping to be thrown back in at the deep end after suffering the second defeat of his professional career.
The former British heavyweight champion dropped a lopsided unanimous decision to Filip Hrgovic earlier this month in a step-up fight on the Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte undercard.
Adeleye opened up as a heavy underdog against the No.6-ranked heavyweight.
However, he exceeded expectations by rocking and cutting Hrgovic during the barnburning bout.
The performance has instilled a newfound confidence in Adeleye that he can mix it with the best in the division.
And now, the 28-year-old is keen to keep the momentum going by landing a domestic dust-up with Daniel Dubois in the wake of his compatriot’s crushing stoppage loss to Oleksandr Usyk in July.
“If Daniel Dubois is supposed to be fighting again this year, then let’s make that happen,” Adeleye told talkSPORT.com.
“We have sparred many times before. If we fight, you guys are going to be in for a treat.”
Dubois is expected to return to the ring at the back end of this year, while Adeleye is hoping to get out as quickly as possible having emerged from his fight with Hrgovic relatively unscathed.
Theoretically, their return dates could coincide with Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn‘s rematch on November 15.
The undercard is yet to be announced, but Adeleye admits he would jump at the opportunity to fight on the bill against Dubois, or anyone else, for that matter.
“That is a very good card to be on, the timing is perfect,” Adeleye added.
“It’s also in my hometown of London, so I wouldn’t have to travel…
“I am one of those fighters who likes to be busy, so at the end of the day, I want to get out of there as soon as possible.
“We are in August now, so I want to be out in the ring again in October, November, or December.
“If I can get out twice this year, then that is perfect. You guys are going to see a different version of me.
“I don’t want to take a step down; I want to fight at the same sort of level.
“If I write my wrongs, no one in the division has answers for me.
“Once I start showing people the level I am at, people are going to realise what sort of fighter I am.”