Joe Joyce's team are making 'good progress' in their talks with Joseph Parker - after it was confirmed that Anthony Joshua will rematch Oleksandr Usyk later this year.
'The Juggernaut' is set to put his WBO No.1 ranking on the line against the New Zealander but a deal between the camps is yet to be agreed.
Joyce had been hoping to bait Joshua into a Battle of Britain after the pair recently traded verbal blows on social media over a potential fight.
But it seems he has decided to move in a different direction instead with manager Adam Morallee revealing they are close to reaching an agreement.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "It's a massive fight.
"We're still negotiating it - it's not finalised yet but good progress is being made.
"It's the biggest fight outside the top four guys fighting. It's the biggest fight on the heavyweight scene right now.
"We hope we can land it and we hope we can land in the UK for the UK fight fans to watch Joe Joyce continue his ascent to the top of the division."
Boxing - WBC Silver and WBO International Heavyweight title fight - Joe Joyce v Carlos Takam - The SSE Arena, London, Britain - July 24, 2021 Joe Joyce celebrates winning the fight against Carlos Takam Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
Joyce is back in training in the United States following an operation on his wrist.
The Olympic silver medallist, 36, had surgery on the injury after his knockout victory over Carlos Takam in July, which kept him out of action for almost an entire year.
And British boxing legend Tony Bellew believes that Joyce has the required skillset to give any heavyweight nightmares, and praised his fellow countryman's elite level conditioning.
Bellew told talkSPORT: “He is a problem for anyone in the world.
“Purely based on the fact that he’s gonna be there at the final bell and he’s gonna make you work.
“But do you know what? It doesn’t even need to get to the final bell.
“And don’t get me wrong, Anthony Joshua is probably the best conditioned heavyweight of the last 20 years, but this Joe Joyce is a different kind of animal.
“He doesn’t even need to do much work, he’s just walking you down.
“It must be so much of a lift and confidence booster for a fighter going into a fight thinking, ‘These guys just can’t hurt me.’
“It’s not like these are featherweights hitting him, these are 17 stone, 18 stone, 19 stone men hitting him with everything they’ve got.
“He’s the modern-day Terminator, the human Terminator, he doesn’t stop.”
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