Gary Rae thought his promoter was joking when he took the call, but now he knows he’ll be part of one of the biggest nights of boxing in Scotland in recent memory, he’s ready to grab his chance with both hands.

The Barrhead boxer was resting up after his fourth professional win over Jose Aguilar on June 3 when his promoter Ian McLeod, of St Andrew’s Sporting Club, called to ask if he’d like to box on the undercard when Josh Taylor takes on Ohara Davies at Braehead Arena next month.

The 28-year-old had made waves with his strong showing against Aguilar, with promoting giants Matchroom enquiring about Rae’s availability for their show in Northern Ireland at the weekend.

But even that wasn’t enough curtail Rae’s shock at getting such a big opportunity so early in his pro career. But after he realised the call was no joke, he jumped at the chance despite not yet knowing his opponent.

He said: “I can’t believe I’ve got this opportunity, so I need to make sure I step up to the plate and deliver a good performance.

“On the back of the last performance there was a few calls to my promoter. Matchroom had been on about me fighting on their show, but it was just a week after my last fight which we didn’t feel was enough time for me to be in the right shape.

“Then Ian phoned and asked how I felt about fighting on the Josh Taylor vs Ohara Davies card, I thought he was pulling my leg. When I realised he was serious I said ‘absolutely I’ll be ready.’ “It’s a big chance for me, it’s a huge platform to have at this stage of my career. If I can put a performance on there’s every chance it could lead to bigger things again and more phone calls could come in.”

Boxing legend and Cyclone Promotions CEO Barry McGuigan said earlier this month that Braehead will be hosting two of the sport’s biggest prospects on July 8.

Scotland’s Taylor is set to face Davies in the super-lightweight clash with Taylor’s Commonwealth title and Davies’ WBC Silver belt on the line at the Cyclone event. Both fighters are undefeated in the pro ranks and the clash is set to be a near 5,000 sell out.

The fight will be broadcast live on Channel 5 and some of the undercard will feature on a Skype feed.

With all of the attention around the event, Rae believes his biggest challenge will be remaining focused on the task at hand as he goes straight back into training camp.

He said: “I didn’t imagine I would be in this situation five fights in. To get recognised like this I think is a big step toward where we are trying to go, it gets my name attached to a massive fight that there is massive interest in.

“I’m really looking forward to getting some experience of a show of that size and learning how everything works, I’m looking forward to being a part of it.

“On the night, a big thing for me is going to be making sure I don’t get carried away with the size of the occasion.”

“I need to have tunnel vision and total focus on the job”

Tickets are priced at £40, £60, £80 and £150 and are available from Gary on 07581452557.