Barry Morrison, the Motherwell light-welterweight, yesterday welcomed the opportunity to re-establish himself as a championship contender when he was confirmed as the official challenger for David Barnes' British crown.

Morrison, 27, was British title holder prior to suffering a points defeat by Colin Lynes 10 months ago. Lynes has since aspired to the level of European champion but it had not been anticipated that Morrison would force his way back into the frame quite so soon.

However, the boxer's manager, Tommy Gilmour, has manoeuvred his fighter into poll position, with the result that Morrison will face Barnes at Liverpool's Everton Sports Centre on Friday, May 9.

Gilmour agreed that Barnes, who took the vacant title recently with a win over Ted Bami, will provide Morrison with a searching examination of his credentials but is confident the Scot will prevail against his Manchester rival.

Morrison revealed that he is still smarting from his loss to Lynes after claiming that he has not completely eradicated the memory of his shock defeat from his mind. "I was terrible that night," said Morrison, "and I want to make up for what happened. The defeat has continued to niggle away at the back of my mind and I need to rid myself of the memory.

"I have never tried to excuse what happened. Maybe there was a weight factor which had something to do with me losing a few pounds at the last minute, but, whatever the reason, it was not a great night.

"Initially, I felt so gutted that I thought about chucking boxing. But the buzz came back after I had a holiday and I know I am capable of becoming British champion again."