British middleweight Martin Murray has come through eight tough rounds against Sergey Khomitsky at the ExCel Arena.
The 31-year-old from St Helens looked flat throughout but took the decision by two rounds against a fighter he previously defeated in 2009.
The pair were originally slated to meet each other three weeks ago, but their engagement was postponed when Murray was struck down by a virus.
After the bout, Murray and his promoter Ricky Hatton revealed that a deal has been struck for his third shot at a world title, although they remained tight lipped about the opponent.
"It was good to get eight rounds in and blow the cobwebs off for a big fight next year but it was a very disappointing performance," he told Sky Sports News.
"I'm not going to blame anything on the virus but it is quite hard getting up for the fight after last time [against Sergio Martinez]. I was fit but the performance was flat."
Murray lost a contentious decision against WBC middleweight champion Martinez in April.
