Terry Flanagan vs Maurice Hooker gets new date on June 9

The vacant WBO 140-pound title fight between Terry Flanagan and Maurice Hooker has a new date, as it will run on June 9 in Manchester, as part of Tyson Fury’s return card.

Flanagan-Hooker was supposed to take place on April 14, but when Billy Joe Saunders was injured and had to move his fight with Martin Murray to June 23, the entire card was scrapped and not fully rescheduled. Flanagan-Hooker needed a new date, and now it has one.

Flanagan (33-0, 13 KO) is moving up from lightweight, where he had a run as WBO champion, winning the belt in July 2015 and making his last of five title defenses in April 2017, beating Petr Petrov.

Hooker (23-0-3, 16 KO) is a fringe contender from Dallas, would be considered a prospect, perhaps, except he’s 28 years old, which is a bit long in the tooth for a prospect. Realistically, it’s probably now or never for him to compete for a world title, and he’s got his opportunity in two months.