Puello, The Ring's No. 5 junior welterweight, will take on late-notice opponent Miguel Angel Bolano, replacing Luis Gallegos in a 10-round contest at Carlos “Teo” Cruz Coliseum in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Originally tabbed to face reigning WBC champion Dalton Smith on June 6 in his first defense, the Sheffield boxer was injured during training camp and Puello has elected to take an interim fight.

"I didn't want to wait for the fight against Dalton while he was inactive, so my team requested permission from the WBC to hold a fight beforehand," Puello (24-1, 10 KOs) told The Ring.

All being well, the 31-year-old southpaw will then try to regain his old belt.

"The fight against Smith will be in October, but I don't have the exact date yet," he said. Veteran journalist Dan Rafael was first to report October 24 is the planned date, though nothing is confirmed at the time of writing.

"La Avispa" welcomes the opportunity to face Smith in a bid to reclaim his old title.

"Smith is a good fighter, but doesn't have anything I haven't seen before," he said.

"I am confident that I can beat him, just as I have beaten my 25 previous opponents, despite not being the favorite. In fact, I should be the champion right now, but the title was taken from me in the Subriel Matias fight."

Belgica Pena of Shuan Promotions feels Puello's return will have him in optimal condition for a title tilt this fall.

"We wanted to schedule an interim fight since Puello was ready to fight in June, and unfortunately, it didn't happen," said the female promoter. "We preferred that Puello stay busy and ready for his next world title opportunity."

Bolano (10-4, 7 KOs) has been a professional for five years, fighting almost exclusively at home in Colombia and is coming off a sixth-round stoppage defeat by Gustavo Lemos in October.