David Adeleye is expecting his fight with Jeamie Tshikeva on April 5 to be for the British heavyweight title.

He won the English title in December when he stopped the then-undefeated Solomon Dacres inside a round, contributing to him being matched with Tshikeva at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on the undercard of what was supposed to be Dillian Whyte-Joe Joyce, and alongside Lawrence Okolie-Richard Riakporhe.

Fabio Wardley – like Adeleye guided by Queensberry Promotions – made his second defence of the British title in October when he stopped Frazer Clarke, but he has spoken of his willingness to vacate it to pursue a fight with the WBA’s so-called “regular” champion Kubrat Pulev, of Bulgaria.

It was a stoppage defeat by Wardley, in 2023, that led to Dacres remaining inactive for more than a year and recruiting the trainer Adam Booth to revive his career. Victory over his fellow Briton Tshikeva would, therefore, somewhat represent him having successfully rebuilt off the back of what remains his only defeat.

“The British title’s on the line, and I’ll be the new British champion before the end of April,” the 28 year old told BoxingScene. “Hopefully [it’ll be announced this week]. We’re just waiting, and going from there.

“He’s a good fighter. I know him. He’s an inside fighter. We’ve done a lot of sparring.

“He’s not on my level though. Nowhere near [the best I’ve fought]. Making the fight messy [is his strength]. But he doesn’t realise – I think he’s going to be surprised at how strong I am. He’s going to understand levels.

“It’s not really competitive [in sparring] – I’m a better fighter all round. 

“We’re cool. But we’re fighting now so that’s out the window.”

Adeleye was then asked how close he came to replacing Daniel Dubois against Joseph Parker in February, and as a consequence abandoning his fight with the 31-year-old Tshikeva, and he said: “We already accepted and everything was agreed, but he went in a different route and it was [Martin] Bakole who got the shot. No [I wasn’t disappointed], because it wasn’t mine – I was just stepping in. It’s not like it was signed, sealed and delivered. But it would have been a good opportunity for me – I’d have shocked a lot of people as well.

“[Bakole] probably just came in out of shape. I think he should have been in a bit more better shape. He tried, and it never worked out. I think he can prove himself and solidify his legacy moving forward.

“[Me and Booth have] got a lot of things we’re working on. You’re gonna see it on fight night. He knew what I was good at and made sure I exploited my strengths. Adam’s more like a mentor as well – he helps with more than just boxing. He understands the fighter. That’s helped our relationship gel as well. He’s very precise – that’s what brings out the best in fighters. 

“You’re gonna see some big fights with me this year. I can’t wait.”

A hand injury forced Whyte to withdraw from his date with Joyce, so a replacement opponent is anticipated. Joyce, incidentally, agreed in early February to fight Whyte on April 5, but by the end of February withdrew from his scheduled date with Germany’s Patrick Korte on March 1.