Professional boxing returns to Taunton next month after a break of more than 25 years.

Promoter Mo Prior has booked Wellsprings Leisure Centre for Friday, February 21 – and he’s expecting a sell out for the first pro show in the town since October 1994.

Prior, whose stable of fighters includes British and Commonwealth welterweight champion Chris Jenkins, has four shows pencilled in for the venue this year.

Prior is looking to push local ticket-sellers Dean Dodge and Paul Roberts on towards title contention.

Roberts, 24, has lost his last couple but, on both occasions, the Chard man boxed out of his weight class.

At 8st 3lbs, Prior believes Roberts can win Southern Area honours. Ricky Little is set to defend against Sammy Cantwell soon and Roberts could face the winner.

Dodge, from Yeovil, is the other big local draw on the eight-fight bill put together by Greg Steene.

Steene says he intends to put on 60-40 fights – and Dodge’s match with former English bantamweight champion Sean Davis fits that description.

Dodge turned over in 2017 after a 45-bout amateur stint that included a stoppage of Harlem Eubank and he’s rolled the dice a couple of times already in his 8-0-1 (3) pro career.

In only his sixth fight, he took on former Midlands title challenger Nathan Kirk and came away with a third-round stoppage – and Dodge has also stopped tough gatekeeper Lee Connelly.

Davis represents a sizeable step up in class - at his best, he was good enough to end the career of Jason Booth and go 12 rounds with Thomas Patrick Ward for the British super-bantamweight championship.

For ticket information, call 07771 709902.