Marco Huck will face Mairis Briedis for the WBC interim cruiserweight world title

Germany’s Marco Huck will battle Latvian Mairis Briedis on April 1 in Dortmund, Germany for the WBC interim cruiserweight world title.

Liverpool's Tony Bellew remains the WBC champion, but due to his decision to move up in weight to take on David Haye on March 4, live on Sky Sports Box Office, a fight has been ordered between the first and second ranked fighters.

The WBC will then order that the winner should face Bellew in a decisive match. If Bellew decides to stay in the heavyweight division after his showdown with Haye or opts to not fight either Briedis or Huck, he will lose his title and the interim champ will become the unanimous titleholder.

Huck (40-3-1-KO27), 32, is delighted to have the fight announced, saying: "I am very excited that this is finally happening and that I am even able to fight for the prestigious WBC title, in which my beloved idol Muhammad Ali has been world champion in.

"This is great for me. Mairis Briedis is still undefeated and has the reputation of being a very unpleasant opponent with a very hard punch. I prefer opponents of this calibre, for the bigger the challenge, the better I perform.

"I will be preparing myself to be very intense and conscientious, because if I do my homework well, a fight is usually decided in my favour before it even gets started."

Meanwhile, Briedis (21-0-KO18) said: "I am incredibly happy about the upcoming fight against Marco Huck. He is a true Cruiserweight legend and already has been involved in a lot of incredible fights.

"In the next fight however, we will fight for the WBC belt which means all or nothing for both of us.

"I will regard the fight as a one-time chance so I can show my full potential. I know that Marco will also give his best - may the best man win."