By Jake Donovan

Tony Bellew is set for his first title defense, while his opponent is set to hit the road for what he views as a last shot at a lasting impression.

The recently crowned cruiserweight titlist won his prize at home and gets to stay there for his first defense as he faces American contender BJ Flores. Their title fight will take place October 15 at ECHO Arena in Liverpool, England.

Bellew (27-2-1, 17KOs) claimed the crown the hard way, climbing off the canvas to stop tough-as-nails Ilunga "Junior" Makabu in three rounds on a special Sunday afternoon show at home in Liverpool. The bout was his latest ring appearance, his biggest win to date and also extending his unbeaten streak to seven straight following a stoppage loss to light heavyweight champ Adonis Stevenson in Nov. '13.

The loss to Stevenson was also Bellew's last fight at light heavyweight, moving up the scales and making his presence felt in the cruiserweight division, where six of his eight fights at the weight will have come at home once October 15 rolls around. The Liverpudlian also enjoyed a taste of Hollywood, featured among the supporting cast for Creed, the latest entry in the historic Rocky film series.

Flores (32-2-1, 20KOs) makes his second attempt at a major title, his previous shot coming last summer for an interim strap. It resulted in a controversial points loss to Beibut Shumenov in a bout that topped the inaugural edition of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC Sports Network. He has since served as the expert analyst for the series, although he will have to set down the headset for upcoming telecasts that will conflict with preparation for his upcoming title shot. He will, however, honor his commentator commitment for NBC's live boxing coverage for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Following the loss to Shumenov, Flores rebounded with a rust-shaking six-round win over Roberto Santos this past May. The bout took place at heavyweight, but never with the full intention of campaigning in that division, save for the ideal opportunity,

Twitter: @JakeNDaBox_v2