Nick Blackwell vs. Jack Arnfield: Fight Time, Date, Live Stream, TV Info

Nick Blackwell defends his British middleweight title against late replacement Jack Arnfield at the City Academy Sports Centre in Bristol, England, on Saturday.

The champion will make the second defence of the belt he picked up in May with a stunning seventh-round victory over John Ryder.

He was due to face Elliott Matthews, only for his original challenger to pull out because of a cut suffered in sparring.

Matthews' loss is Arnfield's gain. Despite fighting as recently as October 24, the 26-year-old has accepted the opportunity to face Blackwell in a televised show.

When: Saturday, November 14, 10 p.m. GMT (5 p.m. ET)

Where: City Academy Sports Centre, Bristol, England

TV: Channel 5, Spike TV

Live Stream: Channel 5 (UK, regional restrictions apply)

Chunky Work

Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

Blackwell (18-3-1, 8 KOs) has never backed down from a challenge, so facing someone new at short notice won't worry him too much.

The 25-year-old, nicknamed Bang Bang, has not lost in more than two years, is the reigning British champion and is ranked in the top 15 by the WBC.

Having caused something of an upset by beating Ryder at the O2 Arena in London earlier this year, Blackwell was equally impressive in dealing with Damon Jones in July.

Ahead of his second defence, Blackwell has been sparring with reigning IBF super middleweight world champion James "Chunky" DeGale.

Chunky is preparing for a big bout of his own—he heads out to Canada to defend his crown against former titleholder Lucian Bute on November 28.

Blackwell said of facing DeGale, per BBC Wiltshire: "Sparring with someone better than you makes you feel good. I always make sure my training is going to be harder than the fight, and that's what I've done."

He has been in with some good fighters at middleweight too.

In just his ninth professional bout, he took on Martin Murray for the British and Commonwealth titles, as well as the WBA intercontinental title. He missed out on the two former belts again in 2012, losing on points to Billy Joe Saunders.

Now, however, Blackwell finally has his hands on the Lonsdale strap. He will be loath to let it slip from his grasp—three successful defences allows a British champion to keep the coveted title.

Tom Doran is already waiting in line for a crack at the champion. He won an eliminator against Rod Smith on November 7.

Keeping Busy

Opportunity knocks for Arnfield (19-1, 4 KOs) after he accepted the offer to face Blackwell at short notice.

The 26-year-old from Blackpool, England, had remained busy in the gym following his recent win over Deividas Sajauka, telling Hennessy Sports:

"

I've been working toward an opportunity like this my whole career.

I've had some rough spots but these past 12 months have been great. I've been back in the gym, working hard, enjoying it and this is the best time for an opportunity like this to come along.

I have stayed in shape because I knew there was a chance something like this could happen. I wanted to be ready if the chance came along.

"

Arnfield's record suggests he's more than just a late substitute who will only last a few rounds.

His only defeat as a professional came in the semi-final of a Prizefighter tournament, as he came out on the wrong end of a split decision after a three-round battle with Cello Renda.

He bounced back from that loss with a dominant display against the Lithuanian Sajauka in an eight-rounder in October.

However, there are two areas of concern for Arnfield, who turned pro in 2007 but did not fight between October 2009 and March 2012, heading into the biggest fight of his career so far.

The clash with Blackwell will be his first 12-round contest—the challenger has never before been beyond the 10th.

He also seems to lack for power, judging by the low number of knockout wins in his career. 

Still, a confident Arnfield has the height—he stands at 6'2", while Blackwell is 5'10"—to cause a few problems.

Prediction

Blackwell could have his hands full with Arnfield, who is a decent substitute at short notice following Matthews' withdrawal.

However, the champion is not afraid of a bit of hard work. If Arnfield doesn't hit hard enough to keep Blackwell at bay, his height advantage will only keep his rival at a distance for so long.

Expect the champion to overcome a slow start to retain his crown with a stoppage between the sixth and eighth rounds.