The former British and Commonwealth junior welterweight champion has established a reputation as one of the most exciting fighters on the domestic scene, but now he wants to push on. He will do so at welterweight.

Rafferty (26-0-1, 17 KOs) isn’t dipping his toe into the 147-pound waters against a handpicked opponent. He will take on Ekow Essuman (22-2, 8 KOs) in a 12-round bout.

The fight will take place on the undercard of Fabio Wardley’s WBO heavyweight title defense against Daniel Dubois.

Rafferty was a proud British champion and had been desperate to win his belt outright before moving up the levels. A layoff caused by an injury, a lack of quality domestic opposition and his growing body meant that he had to finally vacate his title and chase new goals.

His fight with Essuman – a respected, tough and ambitious veteran – will give the 30-year-old Shaw native an immediate gauge of where he will fit in at welterweight.

“This is a massive fight at 147. It’s not just a step up to 147 and then a big fight. It’s a big fight in itself,” Rafferty told The Ring. “What do you want after winning a British title? You want a world title or something bigger than a British title. This fight helps that. It establishes me at 147 and it pushes me closer towards the big goal that I want.”

Fighters around the world struggle to make weight, but they use every win to convince themselves that the struggles and hardships that they put themselves through are worth it and that they can go to the well one more time. Miraculously, as soon as they move up and allow their bodies a little more breathing room, they begin to feel and perform better.

Rafferty is no different.

So far, his all-action, relentless style has earned him plenty of respect on the British scene. Fighting on the undercard of a heavyweight title fight attracts a whole new audience.

DAZN will stream Wardley versus Dubois as a main event from Co-op Live Arena.

Subscribers to DAZN’s Ultimate plan, which costs $44.99 per month in the United States and £24.99 in the UK, can watch the card for no additional charge. It is also available via pay-per-view for non-subscribers ($59.99 in the U.S.; £24.99 in the UK).

Rafferty can’t wait to show people around the world what he is capable of at 147 pounds.

“They're going to say, “Wow, that Jack Rafferty is a good fighter,” he said. “I don’t think they’ve seen the best of me yet. At 140 they’ve seen a big Jack Rafferty, but they’ll see a big, ferocious Jack Rafferty. Better, busier, harder, more skill.”

He also knows that Essuman will try to match him step for step.

“Definitely. Ekow ‘The Engine’ Essuman. That’s what he built his name around,” Rafferty said. “Do I think I’ve got that? I think I’ve got that and more. Whatever he’s got, I’ve got that. Faster, stronger and sharper.”

Jack Catterall cleverly took Essuman apart and stopped him in the 11th round November 15 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Catterall is now preparing to fight Shakhram Giyasov for the WBA interim welterweight title on the undercard of Ring/IBF/WBA/WBC heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk’s upcoming fight with kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven, scheduled for May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

Rafferty watched Catterall’s win and knows what it will take to beat Essuman. His plan of attack will be different to Catterall’s, but he is determined to make just as big a statement.

“I want to put myself in the best possible position by being the best possible me and that’s what I’ve got to do,” Rafferty said. “I’ve got to put on a better show than the other fighters have done against him. I think Harry Scarf beat him and Jack Catterall beat him. Don’t take nothing away from losing to Jack Catterall. He’s fighting for a world title next and there’s no shame in losing to a world-class fighter, but I think you’re going to see a world-class fighter out there.”