Frankie Gavin will not be able to celebrate his return to the ring with a drink – which will stick if his friend Craig Gardner wins the Carling Cup final with Birmingham.

Gavin is in action for the first time since last September tonight at London’s York Hall, topping the bill in an eliminator for the British light welterweight title against Michael Lomax live on Sky Sports.

It’s the third opponent lined up for Britain’s only world amateur champion inside a week with Frenchman Monuir Guebbas ruled out after the fight was made an eliminator, as only British citizens can be involved with the title, while Wales’ Jason Cook failed to make the weight.

But it will be a tee-total night on the town for Birmingham’s ‘Funtime’ Frankie if he is celebrating taking a huge step towards the Lonsdale belt, after making a bet with pal Gardner that he will not drink for a year.

The initial wager between Gavin and the Birmingham midfielder was made in December and has swelled from £500 to £5,000, after trainer Anthony Farnell and his family got in on the act.

But Gavin’s determination to win the bet could be put to the test tonight and definitely will be in eight days time, when the boxer goes to Wembley to cheer on Gardner and his beloved Blues in the final.

Gavin said: “If Blues win, I am hoping he might let up on me. I am stubborn, I want to win and Craig will want to win.

“But if he wants do a friendly forfeit and say ‘you can have a day off because I won,’ then that’s alright.”

Gavin steps through the ropes on the same evening the British title will be contested between champion Lenny Daws and Ashley Theophane across London at Wembley Arena.

Daws will claim a Lonsdale belt as his own with a win, which could negate the need to fight Gavin for the title.

Wolverhampton’s Dean Harrison is also in action in Las Vegas tonight, two months after he and Gavin were supposed to fight for the WBO Inter-Continental title.

But reports that both Harrison and West Bromwich’s former British welterweight champion Young Mutley turned down the chance to fight Gavin tonight are wide of the mark.

However, Gavin has expressed his regret that flu curtailed the chance to meet Harrison in the ring.

He said: “I am gutted I didn’t fight Dean, but I know what would have happened and I think most people know what would have happened.

“But you have got to be at 100 per cent or anything can happen.”