Commonwealth super-middleweight champion George Groves has declared that he is excited to make a step up in class against Glen Johnson in December.
Groves has endured a frustrating year, fighting just once so far in 2012 after suffering a series of injury niggles.
Johnson has campaigned at world-title level for the majority of the last decade, providing a stern test for Carl Froch last year during the Super Sixes tournament.
Groves believes that a convincing victory over Johnson at London's Excel Arena will put him within touching distance of a world-title opportunity next year.
He told The Telegraph: "Johnson is a good opponent who has been about and is a name. It's an early Christmas present for me and I can't wait. No-one has an easy night against him and he's been rolling back the years, pushing Carl Froch.
"A good performance against him will definitely make people sit up and take notice of me. Then I'll be knocking on the door of a world title."
The 24-year-old will feature on a bill headlined by Ricky Burns's latest WBO lightweight title defence on Saturday, December 15.
