"I've got itchy knuckles!" Callum Johnson can't wait to step back into the ring after new fight date announced

Callum Johnson can't wait to get back into the ring - claiming he's got 'itchy knuckles'.

The Boston light heavyweight will put two years of inactivity behind him when he faces Croatian Emil Markic on April 24.

"It's one of them now that it's only two-and-a-half weeks away but I've still got 10 days of hard training and I can't take my eye off the ball," 37-year-old Johnson (18-1) told The Standard.

"I feel like I want it to be here now. It's getting very real and I'm getting excited, I'ved got itchy knuckles as we call it in the boxing world."

The bout against 34-year-old Markic (32-2) was announced last night, and the public reaction has pleased Johnson, who has won Commonwealth and British titles since turning pro in late 2010.

"It's nice to see the reaction of people," he added.

"I've known about the fight for two or three weeks, but obviously you have to wait for the official announcement.

"But it's nice to see the reaction from the public, that confirms that no-one's forgot about me. Everyone seems to be excited to see me back."