Kent boxing referee Ian John-Lewis will officiate next month’s WBC heavyweight title fight between current champion Vitali Klitschko and challenger Juan Carlos Gomez.

John-Lewis, from Gillingham, has been involved in boxing for 30 years and described the forthcoming bout, scheduled for March 21, as being a dream come true.

John-Lewis said: "The thought of refereeing a fight like this is just something I would dream about.

"It’s going to be an honour to referee this match and I can’t believe it.

"They’ll be fighting for the heavyweight belt which Ali won, which Tyson won, which Lennox Lewis won and now Klitschko has won.

"This is the ultimate for me and I’m obviously impressing the right people. Hopefully this will open even more doors for me now."

John-Lewis has been a Class A star referee for nine years.

The fight in March will see Klitschko make his first defence of the heavyweight belt against the mandatory challenger Gomez from Cuba.

The match takes place at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle venue in Stuttgart, Germany.