PADRAIG McCrory has been handed an early Christmas present as it has been confirmed he will tangle with Edgar Berlanga in Orlando on February 24.

A showdown between the two big-punching super-middleweights had been rumoured for a number of weeks with Las Vegas in January initially suggested, but it will now take place on the East Coast of the US one month later as the West Belfast man gets the huge opportunity he has craved.

McCrory has not been adverse to rolling the dice in his career, stepping up to light-heavyweight last year to win the IBO title against Leon Bunn, having scored some eye-catching wins previously in his more natural 168lb division against Marco Antonio Periban and Sergei Gorokhov.

There had been a suggestion that he may have got his crack at Berlanga earlier this year, but instead it was Donegal’s Jason Quigley who was selected with the Brooklynite scoring four knockdowns on his way to a wide points win to improve to 21-0.

Instead, McCrory topped the bill at the Falls Park when fighting though the pain barrier against Steed Woodall as he shook off a hand injury that had plagued him all year to improve to 18-0 and believes he is in a better place now to face ‘The Chosen One’ than had they met in summer.

“It didn’t happen then, but then I got to be main event at the Féile which worked out better for me,” he said.

“I had a good fight there that will stand by me and now this fight is made.

“Timing is very important and the way things have fallen for me, even with fights not coming off, it has all worked out perfectly.

“Had I fought (Berlanga) in June, then I would never have got to experience headlining in my home city. Now, I’m heading to Florida for the main event on a massive card.”

McCrory’s career-best win was that destruction of Bunn in Frankfurt, so delivering away from home is nothing new and therefore, he won’t feel daunted making the trip across the pond.

A popular figure in his home town and beyond, it is likely he will bring a big support to the Sunshine State for the main event of a card that could also see Derry middleweight Connor Coyle put his own unbeaten 20-0 record on the line against the 15-0 Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams.

“I’ve had the away day experience, so I know what to expect,” he insists.

“This whole event will be five-times bigger, but I do have that experience from my previous fight (against Bunn).

“I really think this is a win-win. There is no pressure on me as I’m in a place where nobody thought I would get to. He (Berlanga) is the ‘A-side’, the one will all the pressure of big fights planned for big money, so all the pressure is on him, not me. I’ve just got to show up, work hard and get the win.”

Working hard and getting wins is what has put McCrory in this position as he entered the professional ranks with little fanfare.

He rose through the ranks the old-fashioned way, performing on the small hall circuit and working his way up on undercards, rolling the dice and taking risks.

It has paid off so far and his big opportunity against Berlanga is a result of that hard graft.

“On the domestic scene and locally, people are aware of what I’ve done,” he acknowledged.

“I understand that globally, this is as harder fight to sell because I’m an unknown to the outside. But everyone on the local scene knows that nothing has ever been handed to me.

“I’ve been number three in the world with the WBA for the past 18 months and that is without having the big backing or loads of money pumped into me. It’s been done by me generating everything I’ve earned and taking every opportunity that has come to me.”

Should he score another big win, there will be no more issues regarding his status in the eyes of the boxing world, but he knows to do so it will require a performance like no other.

His 26-year-old opponent blazed a trail in the pro ranks with his first 16 fights all ending inside the distance, but since stepping up in opposition, he has been forced to go the distance in his last five.

He may have a reputation for power punching, but so too does McCrory whose ‘Hammer’ moniker has proven to be quite apt and he is determined to seize his big opportunity that will open the doors to some potential life-changing opportunities.

“After 16 fights, Berlanga was seen as the next big star,” McCrory noted.

“He’s went the distance in his last five fights, but he isn’t the finished article and this is a very winnable fight for me.

“I also have to understand that Berlanga isn’t Leon Bunn and is levels above anything I’ve ever fought, but I’ve dealt with everything well up to this stage.

“This is the next natural step and out of everyone with the big profiles, Berlanga is the most winnable of them all.”