Junior Witter is ready to add another boxing belt to his collection.

The Bradford light-welterweight will fight Belgium's Jurgen Haeck on the Ricky Hatton undercard in Manchester on April 5.

As first reported in the Telegraph & Argus, Witter's final warm-up for his summer shot at Hatton will be for the European Union title.

It is a pretty meaningless bauble, set up last year for fighters not ranked in the European top ten. James Hare won the welterweight version against Dimitri Moneyseka before going on to lift the Commonwealth.

But Witter is happy to keep his hand in as he zooms towards his fight with destiny at Maine Road. And he is keen to add another belt to a bulging haul that already includes the Commonwealth, British and WBO inter-continental awards.

He said: "I'm pleased to have something to aim towards. I don't know too much about Haeck but he's got a decent record and a right hook that I've got to be wary of."

Haeck, ranked 74 in the world, has won 15 of his 16 professional bouts. But the 31-year-old has only fought outside Belgium twice and one of those was his only defeat when beaten by top Frenchman Souleymane M'baye in Poland 14 months ago.

Hatton headlines at the MEN Arena against dangerous veteran Vince Phillips - and Witter is backing his great rival to come through safely.

He added: "Obviously I need Hatton to win so that it goes ahead in the summer. But I don't think it will be too hard for him.

"People are saying that Phillips is a good fighter but he hasn't been for a while.

"His best performances were years ago and he comes into this on the back of losing to Sharmba Mitchell.

"If Hatton had faced Phillips in 1996 then it might have been a different story.

"But you are asking a 39-year-old pushing 40 to beat one of the top fighters in the world and that just isn't going to happen."

Tickets for the "Acid Test" show next month are available from the MEN Arena on 0161 930 8000 or Sports Network on 01992 550 888.