TARIQ Quaddus will face his toughest test yet when he returns to the ring at the end of next month.

The Swindon-based super-middleweight will aim to continue his rise up the ranks on August 30 in Southampton with unbeaten light-heavyweight Chris Hobbs mooted as his likely opponent.

The 24-year-old has won all four of his fights since returning to the professional ranks in March and trainer Richard Farnan believes that the southpaw could earn a title shot of some sort by the end of the year.

While the trainer would prefer his fighter to go down the less congested light-heavyweight route he admits that Quaddus is likely to be more suited to the 12 stone division.

“Tariq generally walks around at 12-and-a-half stone, the light-heavy championship limit, so when he trains the weight naturally falls off,” Farnan said.

“There is a possibility, if Tariq keeps winning as he is, that there could be a Southern Area title shot at light-heavyweight by the end of the year.

“But Tariq would be a small light-heavy so that is something we would really have to think about.”

However, Farnan insists that if Quaddus opts to go down the super-middleweight road then he would happily put his fighter in with newly crowned Southern Area champion Frank Buglioni.

The Enfield boxer bounced back from his shock WBO European title loss to Sergey Khomitsky with a fourth round stoppage of Sam Couzens last week to claim the strap at the York Hall in Bethnall Green.

The Wise Guy showed fast and heavy hands against Couzens, Buglioni left himself wide open and was caught on numerous occasions by a below par opponent.

“It is a fight (Buglioni) I’d happily take for Tariq, but not right now,” Farnan said.

“Tariq would cause Buglioni a lot more problems than Sam did.

“If that was the route we took and the opportunity was there in the new year then we’d definitely consider it.”

For now Farnan and Quaddus are fully focused on their August outing.

“We have been offered an opponent (Hobbs) and we have said yes to it, we are just waiting for him to say yes,” the trainer added.

“Chris Hobbs is unbeaten, he is 5-0, so it will be an interesting fight for Tariq.

“Tariq has recently done a 17 good rounds with Callum Smith and 10 good rounds with Chris Eubank Jr.

“He’s has had a little holiday now and we are back in the gym looking forward to that date.”

Before Farnan and Quaddus head to Hampshire, the trainer and Penhill’s IBO inter-continental super-middleweight champion Kelvin Young will travel to America to see Donovan George and Dyah Davis clash for the world title in Chicago on August 23.