Halpin faces the experienced Chris Jickells from Scunthorpe at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, on November 15 after signing a three-year deal with Frank Warren last month.
Halpin is still coming to terms with the death of Paul Smith, who died in a crash on Hove seafront.
"Paul was one of my best friends," he said. "I am dedicating the fight to him. His dad Roger and brother Craig are still coming to watch me, which is nice."
Halpin, now trained by former European featherweight champ Jim McDonnell, is hoping for a stoppage win on his comeback from a break since the summer.
Howard Eastman, trained by Hove's Ronnie Davies, defends his WBA inter-continental middleweight crown against Belgian Mike Algoit at the Hull Arena on Saturday.
If Eastman maintains his unbeaten record he will become the mandatory contender for a world title shot.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article