Dereck Chisora secures showdown with Wladimir Klitschko

Chisora, who only won the domestic title in May and has had just 14 professional fights, has put pen to paper on a deal to fight the WBO/IBF champion in Mannheim, Germany on 11 December.

Should he pull off a shock and defeat the Ukrainian, he would then face Klitschko's older brother Vitali, the WBC champion.

Chisora's shot has been in the pipeline for a few weeks and will come as a blow to his countryman David Haye, who has so far failed to secure a unification showdown with either of the brothers. Zimbabwe-born Chisora, 26, recently added the Commonwealth belt to his British crown by defeating Norwich's Sam Sexton and now faces a startling step up in class.

"This is about glory for me and becoming the heavyweight champion of the world, something I've dreamed about since I started boxing," said the unbeaten Finchley man.

"Haye will not fight the Klitschkos as long as they are champions, but I'm up for the fight and will take them on. The Klitschkos have ruled for too long and I can't wait to get into the ring in Germany and smash the living daylights out of Wladimir first. Vitali is waiting in the background and I'll deal with him once I've dealt with Wladimir."

Chisora added: "Wladimir is a good strong champion, technically excellent, but I believe I can bring something new to beat him. I'm a young, fresh and hungry challenger and I've got the punch to back me up.

"An opportunity like this may not come around again or for a long time so I've got to take it now and believe me, one shot is all I need."

Chisora is thought to be taking a modest purse for the fight but his promoter Frank Warren admits it is about more than just money. "This is a tough fight for Del and a big step up for him, but he's confident that he can do a job on Wladimir. When I talked to him about the opportunity, he insisted that I took it. Unlike David Haye, for Dereck this about the challenge, not the money. He really believes that he can beat Wladimir.

"It's in the contract that if he beats Wladimir then he has to face Vitali next, but he's got a big job ahead first. He's taking himself out of London and into a training camp, away from any distractions, to totally focus on the fight.

"December 11 could be a double celebration for me as I have my 30th anniversary show taking place and if Dereck wins the world heavyweight title."