The IBF have ordered Thompson (15-0, 11 KOs) to box Italy’s Etinosa Oliha (22-0, 10 KOs) for their vacant 160-pound title later this year.

Having not boxed since September, Thompson decided to go through with the potentially tricky assignment against the tough Pauls (20-2-1, 11 KOs).

“A big night just got bigger,” Thompson told The Ring.

“I win this fight, there's a world title next. There's no pressure on me, I only focus on myself, I focus on the job at hand and that's Brad Pauls.”

Late last year, then unified champion, Janibek Alimkhanuly, returned a positive drug test for the banned substance meldonium, causing the cancellation of a scheduled unification fight with WBA title holder, Erislandy Lara.

The WBO have allowed Janibek to keep his title despite suspending him for a year but the IBF recently announced that they had stripped the Kazakh of his title.

The decision opens the door for Thompson who sits at No. 3 in the IBF rankings. Oliha is at No. 2 and is also ranked at No. 6 by The Ring.

“Nothing's changed,” he said. “I’ve always been very high up in the rankings and with Janibek's situation it was always going to be me that's next. It’s literally just news that's come out but it's news I always knew about. Brad's next and he's the main focus.”

Thompson will be an unknown entity to many but the six-foot-three inch tall southpaw has the size, style and power to become a significant factor at 160 pounds.

His middleweight rivals have skirted around the idea of fighting him until the potential rewards were worth the risk. Now, he gets an earlier than expected opportunity to claim the biggest prize of all and gatecrash the world scene

“Exactly. A lot of people haven't wanted to fight me. Brad Pauls being one of them,” Thompson said.

“In September he rejected a British final eliminator. This fight's been forced on him, he had no other option. That said, get past this and move on.”