Highly regarded French junior middleweight Bakary Samake will return to action against Alejandro Ortiz on Oct. 25.

The two will meet in a non-title 10-round middleweight contest at Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan, Levallois-Perret, France.

"The next fight is an opportunity for me to prepare for the WBC world title eliminator," Samake told The Ring. "To prove to them that I'm ready to fight for the world title.

"Over the past few months it's been very hard for my team to find some fighters who want to fight against me. I need to take the next step in my career."

Samake, 22, will enter on the back of his best win to date against Roarke Knapp in April. On that night, the rising French star shared top billing with the French rapper Gazo, in front of around 40,000, at La Defense Arena in Paris.

Samake (17-0, 9 KOs) turned professional in 2021. After navigating the early stages of his career, he has impressed with wins over Ahmed El Mousaoui (UD 10), Julio Alamos (UD 10), Wade Ryan (TKO 7) and, most recently, Knapp (KO 8).

Ortiz (25-0, 24 KOs) has been a professional for six years. He has fought exclusively in his homeland of Venezuela. Despite his glamorous record, the 24-year-old hasn't faced anyone close to Samake's ability and this will represent a significant step up in class. He has won three fights this year albeit against limited opposition.