Cromer's Commonwealth super featherweight champion Liam Walsh will make the first defence on his title against John Kays in Wigan on March 19.

Walsh won a thriller against tough Ghanaian Maxwell Awuku in his first 12-rounder on a memorable night at the York Hall, which also featured wins for twin Ryan and brother Michael.

The slick, unbeaten southpaw is now aiming for an 11th professional victory and knows an eye-catching display could put him in line for a shot at WBO world super featherweight champion Ricky Burns.

Walsh is confident he will impress, despite fighting Kays on his own turf at the Robin Park Arena in Wigan on the Frank Warren-promoted show, which will be broadcast live on Skysports.

'I learned more in that title fight than I had done in my nine previous ones,' said Walsh. 'It's definitely made me into a much better fighter and my confidence is really buzzing. I can't wait for this fight against Kays. I'll silence the crowd pretty quickly because I really can't see how he can beat me.

'It's all about sending out statements because the super-featherweight division in the UK is a hot one. The man I want is WBO champion Ricky Burns. But if my promoter gets me the likes of Stephen Ormond or Paul Appleby, I'll be happy.'

Walsh's 27-year-old opponent has a 13-1 professional record and is fresh from a stoppage victory over Dai Davies. The undercard also features top prospects Kevin Satchell, Rick Godding, Stephen Jennings, Ryan Farrag, Stephen Harkin, Rob Beech, Mark Evans, James Burke, David Pryce and Chris Johnson.

Tickets for the show are �30 and �50 and available online from vipbe.co.uk. Doors open at 5.30pm and boxing starts at 6pm.