Cumbrian bare-knuckle boxing champion Danny Christie will be back in the BKFC ring in Newcastle this summer.

The Carlisle boxer will face his first fight at middleweight against Jimmy Millar on June 8.

And Christie is joined on the card by fellow Cumbrian Bartek Kanabey, the Maryport puncher who will take on Jack Culshaw in a lightweight bout.

The Cumbrian duo feature on the card for the BKFC Prospect series event at Newcastle’s Walker Activity Dome.

For Christie the contest with Millar marks his new steps in the sport after moving down from the light-heavyweight division.

The Currock man has vacated the British title he won in that division.

Christie earlier this month defeated Welsh opponent David Round to retain the light-heavyweight belt he claimed when defeating Anthony Holmes last year.

That followed previous victories against Terry Brazier and Darren Godfrey amid an impressive impact in BKFC.

Against Round, Christie bounced back from a previous defeat to American opponent Jared Warren.

Following his powerful first-round victory in Milton Keynes on April 6, the Carlisle boxer announced he would be switching divisions and wanted to become the first BKFC British two-weight champion.

His opponent, experienced MMA fighter Jimmy ‘Justice’ Millar from Dorset, won his last BKFC fight at light-heavyweight when he ousted Kyle Cassidy.

News and Star: Christie overpowered David Round earlier this month but has now vacated his British light-heavyweight title to focus on the middleweight divisionChristie overpowered David Round earlier this month but has now vacated his British light-heavyweight title to focus on the middleweight division (Image: BKFC)

The event in Newcastle will also see west Cumbria-based Kanabey, who is nicknamed ‘the Polish Plough’, aim to further his progress in BKFC.

In April he claimed a first-round victory over Uzbek opponent Bakhtyor Kudratov at the BKFC 60 Milton Keynes event.

It was a second victory in BKFC for the Maryport fighter, who also earlier this year became a double champion in the West Cumbrian WBKB bare-knuckle series.

Now he will take on Wakefield-based MMA fighter Culshaw, who will be making his BKFC debut against Kanabey.