Derry Mathews (R) finds Stephen Ormond with a right hand. Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images.

Popular British lightweight Derry Mathews will now face off against Canadian Tony Luis in Liverpool, England, on Saturday after Ismael Barroso encountered visa difficulties which ultimately forced his withdrawal.

On Thursday past it was announced that WBA lightweight titleholder Richar Abril had pulled out of a title defense against Mathews, for a second time, and would be replaced by Barroso. The British veteran reset his strategy accordingly but must now formulate a new game plan with only three days remaining until fight time.

Tony Luis (19-2, 7 knockouts) was already scheduled to fight this weekend in Minnesota, so his conditioning is beyond reproach. With that said, the 29 year old has not mixed with anyone in Mathews’ class and will be a heavily jet lagged underdog when he arrives on UK shores.

“It’s obviously not ideal preparing for three different opponents in one camp,” said Mathews, who is a former British and Commonwealth champion. “But I’ve prepared for three different styles so anything Tony Luis brings shouldn’t be too much of a surprise.

“He’s a decent operator and was already in camp. I thank him for taking up this opportunity.”

Tom Gray is a member of the British Boxing Writers’ Association and has contributed to various publications. Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing