The WBC junior middleweight eliminator had been chief support to Lawrence Okolie-Tony Yoka, but when the Brit returned an adverse finding the fight was cancelled and the rest of the show quickly followed.

“It was hard to learn about the cancellation, but not just for me, for all the boxers at the event, who, like me, had prepared for this great evening," Samake (19-0, 11 KOs) told The Ring.

"After that, I adapted quickly and trusted my team to reschedule the elimination fight, keeping in mind that what mattered was to fight no matter what, to have a shot at a world title."

The WBC acted quickly and set up a purse bid April 29. Hadribeaj's promoter, Ahmet Ohner of Arena Box Promotions, submitted $339,817, outbidding Samake Promotions’ $281,800 offer.

"My promotion didn't win the auction, but that's the nature of the bidding process, and we accept it," he said. "The main thing is that the fight is happening. What bothers me more is the French public who were eagerly awaiting this fight and who won't be able to attend it in France as planned.

"It's not ideal, that's for sure, but I'm staying focused on my own part, which is the ring. And whether I'm in Paris or elsewhere in the ring, it doesn't change anything. I know my job. It's my time, I know I am ready, I trained hard for 15 years, and I have the opportunity right now against Ermal.

"[WBC President] Mauricio [Sulaiman] told me, if I win this fight I'm going to have a chance to fight for the title, maybe at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. I cannot lose this opportunity. This is why we worked hard for many months for this opportunity."

The 22-year-old, rated No. 10 at 154 pounds by The Ring, spent five weeks in Las Vegas, where he sparred 76 rounds, many with unbeaten middleweight Aaron McKenna.

Samake believes his Albanian opponent is too one-dimension to cause him too many problems.

"I am not afraid of Hadribeaj. He is not a technical boxer. He is just an aggressive boxer," he said. "I think I have the technique and the experience in boxing.

"Ermal is a good opponent, he is very aggressive. I am very aggressive too. I am ready to fight against him. I think it's going to be a very good fight for the viewers. I do not think he can do six rounds with me knocking him out."

Hadribeaj (22-0-1, 8 KOs), a 32-year-old southpaw, has won a WBC regional title and moved his way up its rankings with eight successful defenses.

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