Brad Rea insists the idea of taking part in a fight capturing the imagination of a city was the primary reason behind choosing to defend his European light heavyweight title against Manchester rival Lyndon Arthur.

On November 1, Rea - a Manchester City fan from Stretford - will take on Arthur - a Manchester United fan from Moston - at the city's Co-op Live Arena. The event will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.

It will be the city's first real derby fight since former WBA lightweight titleholder Anthony Crolla stopped longtime European titleholder John Murray back in April 2014.

Rea (21-1, 10 KOs) won the European belt by outlasting Shakan Pitters on June 28, in one of the best British fights of 2025. He's keen to capitalise on the momentum his exciting win generated, knowing a high-stakes local showdown offers him a unique chance to do so.

"I remember being a kid, going to watch Crolla-Murray - how much of a buzz it was and how exciting it was," he told The Ring.

"A chance to have bragging rights around your city doesn't come around very often. That's what it's about.

"It very rarely happens and I remember thinking as a kid, 'I'd love to be in a fight like this'. It got put towards me and I was just like, 'This is my chance'. If I turn this down and take another fight I might never get another opportunity so it was a no-brainer for me."

Rea has suffered his share of frustration and bad luck over the years but beating Pitters breathed new life into his career.

The fight with Arthur (24-3, 16 KOs) will be the first of his new promotional deal with Queensberry but rather than asking for a showcase, the 27-year-old actively sought out the fight offering the greatest risk-to-reward ratio.

Rea knows how just good Arthur can be. The 34-year-old former world title challenger has been a fixture in the higher reaches of the 175-pound division for years and the two have also shared rounds in the gym.

Nonetheless, Rea has never been shy about seeking out a challenge. He decided that as well as confirming himself as Manchester's best light heavyweight, beating Arthur would separate him from a busy, ambitious group of British fighters to position him perfectly for a step up towards world level.

"I think Lyndon is the bridge," he said.

"You've got your fighters who are touching world level, trying to push on and have got their sights on world titles. Then you've got your fighters like me, Ezra Taylor and Lewis Edmondson who are a bit more domestic and, for me, Lyndon Arthur is the quickest route to close that gap. It's my way to move up the next step of the ladder.

"He's a big name, everyone knows him. He's boxed Dmitry Bivol, Anthony Yarde, been on the Saudi shows and I think it'll be great for building my profile in Manchester, beating him.

"There's not just boxing eyes on it, there's football eyes and the whole city is going to get excited about the fight, I think that it's me starting to build that fanbase. I think it's going to be talked about a lot but, most importantly, it's just that derby side of it. I'm not bothered about the titles or what comes next."