Geale, 32, has been in sparkling form of late, picking up two world titles in the last two years and is now recognised as the number three in the world at 160lbs behind Sergio Martinez and Gennady Golovkin.
The clash with former two-time European title holder Barker will be the Australian’s fifth defence in total and will also see Geale make his American debut, with the clash to be shown live on HBO.
30 year-old Londoner Barker has won two on the spin since losing his first world title shot via stoppage against Martinez in 2011 – which remains his solitary defeat in 26 professional outings.
