BEN Ridings thought his chance of a big fight on TV had gone – but the Bury boxer has landed another major opportunity on Saturday night.

The 22-year-old was set to be part of the Boxxer super-middleweight tournament on ITV4 and BT Sport last Tuesday night, November 10, only to test positive for Covid-19 the day before.

But less than two weeks later, he will be in action this weekend on Matchroom Boxing’s Sky Sports bill behind closed doors at Wembley Arena.

Ridings, who has won all three of his professional fights, will take on the more experienced Jez Smith over six rounds at middleweight in a card headlined by Conor Benn’s clash with Sebastian Formella.

Former Dynamics and Bury ABC man Ridings has not fought since May 2019 having picked up points victories in each of his three outings with trainer and manager Kieran Farrell, who also last week tested positive for coronavirus.

With 11 wins from 14 fights, Londoner Smith is by far the more seasoned campaigner.

The 26-year-old has however lost his last two, both by knockout.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said on Twitter: “One thing I’ve enjoyed about the challenge of boxing lately is providing opportunities for fighters that are ready.

“We lost a six-round fight on Monday and called around and asked who was ready for a war – Ben Ridings and Jez Smith obliged! Good luck Saturday!”

Final details on the broadcast of the fight are to be confirmed with the main fights live on Sky Sports Arena from 7pm.

Other undercard fights are often shown live on Facebook, which could be the case with Ridings and Smith’s 160lbs contest.