IT’S been a frustrating wait, but Danny Quartermaine at last has his big title fight.The Leamington hurricane will defend his IBF and WBO European super-featherweight titles against Royston Barney-Smith on October 25.

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And the setting for the clash couldn’t be any bigger. The pair meet on the mighty O2 Arena show headlined by heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Joseph Parker.

You can be sure Quartermaine will have noisy support on the night: the 28-year-old has a huge following.

The mouthwatering battle between Danny, trained by Edwin Cleary, and Barney-Smith was originally scheduled for July, but injury forced the Southampton prospect to pull out of the Bournemouth bill.

It’s the most high-profile night of Quartermaine’s 14 bout career, the only minor blip being a technical draw with Jack Bateson last year, a clash of heads leaving both men badly gashed in the second round. He last fought in June, at Birmingham’s Holiday Inn, and kept the ring rust at bay with a shut-out points win over Jayro Duran.

For Barney-Smith, Danny represents the first real acid test after 14 straight wins, seven inside distance. It’s a fact acknowledged by the 21-year-old and Frank Warren, whose Queensberry Promotions stage the show. He described the showdown as Barney-Smith’s “toughest test to date”.

There is, refreshingly, plenty of respect between the two fighters, judging by the comments they made before July’s cancelled encounter.

Danny told Queensberry: “Royston came and approached me about the fight in a very respectful manner. With the way he did it I thought why not give him that opportunity? Boxing is about opportunities and I am more than willing to put my belts on the line and fight a good level of opponent.