CHRIS EUBANK Jr believes securing a victory over Matt Korobov will pave the way to much bigger fights in the United States.

The Brighton fighter drops back down to middleweight to make his US debut in New York on December 7.

Eubank, pictured, has a promotional deal with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions but has not fought since beating James DeGale in London in February.

Korobov, although not a big name on these shores, is a well-regarded fighter and a dangerous if not high-profile opponent for Eubank Jr.

But Eubank Jr says there is a plan he is happy to follow.

He told iFL TV from Las Vegas where he will prepare for the Barclay Centre fight: “Al Haymon is a mastermind. PBC/Showtime have a solid plan for me and Korobov is who they have chosen for me to fight first out here.

“He is well known in the boxing world and I believe he beat Jermall Charlo in his fight with him last year.

“I am following the game plan. This is the first step in a long journey out here in the States. They cannot all be mega-fights. You have to work your way up and this a great starting point for me.”

Eubank Jr, 30, told The Argus in July he was frustrated with his long lay-off after his win over Degale.

But he is confident the Korobov showdown will be the start of a busy period.

Eubank Jr said: “It’s nearly been a year and that’s not what I thought would happen and not what I signed up for but boxing is boxing and sometimes things don’t go as planned.

“I was supposed to fight three times this year, I’m fighting twice.

“It could be a lot worse - I could not have got any fights. It’s a good fight, it’s a solid fight.

“There have been some teething problems with me being with a new outfit, who are American, and it has not been easy to pin down dates.

“But once this fight is done I think the ball will be fully rolling and I will be very active in 2020.”

Southpaw Korobov suffered a unanimous points defeat to Charlo last December after taking him the distance.