NEWPORT boxer Craig Woodruff is set for a title re-match against Gavin Gwynne at the Motorpoint Arena in April.

Woodruff is set to face British and Commonwealth lightweight champion Gavin Gwynne, in a re-match after a controversial meeting in Bolton last September that ended in a majority draw.

If Sean McGoldrick fails to gain the British title in February, then the chance will fall to Woodruff to become the first Newport boxer since David ‘Bomber’ Pearce to win the Lonsdale Belt. 

The 30-year-old is the current holder of the Celtic lightweight title, after defeating Scottish boxer Ronnie Clarke at the Vale Sports Arena in March last year.

Woodruff enters his 12th year of his professional career and has fought some top fighters which earned himself a shot at Gwynne’s title last September.

South Wales Argus:

Craig 'Smiler' Woodruff (left) in action against Gavin Gwynne (right) for the British lightweight title in September. Picture: Wasserman Boxing

The fight between Woodruff and Gwynne attracted attention from boxing fans across the UK, with Gwynne asking Woodruff for a rematch before the draw was announced.

Speaking to the Argus after the fight in October, Woodruff said: “I would love a re-match in Wales, it would be amazing.”

After the bout ended in a draw, both boxers made their feelings clear in the post-fight interviews where they each insisted, they had won the fight and that the judge’s decision were wrong.

Now, the Newport boxer has the chance to win a title closer to home and will have the chance to settle the score.

The bout is set to land on the undercard of Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov against Cardiff’s Joe Cordina for the IBF Super featherweight title in the Welsh Capital.

The fight is set to become one of the most highly anticipated contests of the year, and what could be a historic night for not only Welsh boxing but for Newport too should Woodruff claim the title.