‘Treasure’ meets late replacement tonight

Globe-trotting British light-welterweight champion Ashley Theophane is set to add another city to his CV when he fights in Sunderland tonight against stand-in Ben Murphy.

The 31 year-old, who has five straight wins since a contentious loss to Danny Garcia in February 2010, makes the second defence of the Lonsdale Belt he ripped away from Lenny Daws earlier this year.

Opponent Murphy, 31, steps in at late notice after original opponent Nigel Wright failed a brain scan earlier in the week and was unable to take his place in the opposite corner as mandatory challenger.

Hove-born Murphy has four losses in thirteen bouts as a professional and currently holds the Southern Area title along with two Prizefighter appearances in which he lost at the first hurdle.

Offering chief support to Theophane v Murphy will be British flyweight champion Chris Edwards’ mandatory bout against former champion Shinny Bayaar.

Edwards, 35, took the title from Paul ‘Eddy’ Edwards on his home soil in Liverpool in a ‘Fight of the Year’ contender last June and now defends it against the 34 year-old UK-based Mongolian, who was controversially dethroned by Liverpudlian in December 2010.

The two fighters have met before in 2009 when Bayaar took a close split decision victory at Bolton Arena and will hope for a similar result at Peterlee Leisure Centre tonight.

Theophane v Murphy is live on Sky Sports 1 from 11pm