Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Badou Jack are close to agreeing a clash for the WBC cruiserweight title.
The Mexican is the current undisputed champion at super-middleweight but could jump up to the 200lb limit to face Jack before the year is out.
Canelo has been heavily linked with a September rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who beat him on points in May of last year.
However, they are still yet to agree terms with Mexican Independence weekend in September the date initially tagged for that return.
And now Amer Abdullah, the head of Boxing at Saudi Arabia-based Skill Challenge Entertainment – who represent Jack – has revealed that talks regarding a clash later this year are progressing well.
Jack won the WBC cruiserweight title via a 12th-round stoppage of Ilunga Makabu in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia in February and is still yet to arrange his first defense.
But Abdullah told BoxingScene.com: “Yeah we are currently in discussion with Canelo’s team. I am talking directly to them and of course we represent Badou as a Skill Challenge Promotions athlete. The talks are going very well.
“I’m hoping that the talks progress and I think we have a lot of the negotiations and terms met with everybody satisfied. There are one or two more sticking points that I’m hoping won’t turn out to be sticking points. But Canelo is a very established guy and his team know what they’re doing.
“Sometimes fights don’t work out because of the little things that come at the end and sometimes everybody is able to come to a mutual understanding and agree it. I’m an internal optimist so I always look for the best-case scenario. I’m hoping a Badou Jack v Canelo fight does work out. It would not be in September though.”
However Abdullah also revealed that Jack, a former WBC champion at super middleweight and holder of the WBA regular title at light heavyweight, may not be done climbing through the weight divisions.
He said: “I’m hoping we can get this thing over the line but Badou has other options. We are looking at possibly a Bridgerweight fight, to win a title in a fourth division.
“But he also has mandatories at cruiser, and a potential Makabu rematch still. I think in the next couple of weeks we will be able to make an announcement on what’s going to be next for him.”