NICK Blackwell’s next fight could see the Trowbridge champion win the British middleweight title outright but the chances of him locking horns with Chris Eubank Jr remain muddled in uncertainty – despite the powers that be mandating the clash.

‘Bang Bang’ Blackwell successfully saw off the challenge of Jack Arnfield at the City Academy in Bristol last weekend to make the second defence of his coveted British belt.

After also beating Damon Jones in July, holding on to the Lonsdale belt for a third time would see the 25-year-old win the domestic strap outright.

But in a bizarre move, the British Boxing Board of Control chose to call for purse bids for a British title contest between Blackwell and Eubank Jr, despite the 26-year-old’s upcoming fight with Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan on December 12 – a final eliminator for the WBA world title.

Trowbridge’s Blackwell is one of a host of domestic middleweights to have long-chased a contest with the son of former world champion Chris Eubank, but his trainer Gary Lockett is far from holding his breath.

“I’ve never known someone to be made mandatory when they’ve got a world title eliminator coming up,” said Lockett.

“I’ve never known that and that is something that I’d like someone to explain to me.

“How can somebody be made mandatory for the British title when they’ve got a world title eliminator within a few weeks?

“But we’re not concerned about other people – we’ll think about Nick and moving him forward.

“He’ll have a good rest now and we’ll get him back in the gym and looking forward to new things.”

Blackwell is also being offered a clash for his British title by Northern Irish IBF inter-continental champion Eamonn O’Kane, but his promoter Mick Hennessy isn’t completely giving up on the chances of his charge meeting Eubank Jr, who currently tops the British rankings.

“We want the fight – we’ve always wanted the fight,” Hennessy told the Wiltshire Times.

“The board called for two eliminators – Blackwell v Eubank – and he pulled out of both of them.

“Now they’ve called for the British title; let’s see what happens.

“We want the fight and we want it big, so let’s see whether they’ve turn up.

“I’d love him to win his Lonsdale belt outright and then the European title; do it the old-school way and then go for a major world title.”