Thursday 23 June 2016 12:40, UK
Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin could finally meet in the autumn of 2017, according to both fighters' promoters.
Boxing's most anticipated match-up appeared further away than ever when Alvarez chose to vacate his WBC middleweight belt after stopping Amir Khan in May rather than accept an "artificial deadline" to fight mandatory challenger Golovkin.
But Alvarez insisted he would chase a deal "as quickly as possible" with Golovkin, the unbeaten Kazakh who holds the IBF and WBA Super versions of the title, and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya announced on Wednesday an agreement had been reached.
De La Hoya tweeted: "On Tuesday, [Golovkin's promoter] Tom Loeffler came to Golden Boy Boxing's offices and we agreed that the mega fight between Canelo and GGG would occur next fall."
That claim is premature, according to Loeffler, but he did not rule out sticking to De La Hoya's timetable.
"It would be great if we had some binding agreement, but we don't," he said. "I did meet with Golden Boy and they want to build the fight and shoot for the fall of 2017.
"From our side, we're going to continue to try to put together the biggest fights for Gennady. Both sides want to make the fight, but it is a mischaracterisation to say there is a deal."
One potential stumbling block is Alvarez's reluctance until now to fight at the 160lbs middleweight limit.
The Mexican's two title contests have been made at a catchweight 155lbs - just one pound above the super-welterweight limit - while Golovkin's team have repeatedly said he will not surrender a natural size advantage by compromising on weight.
Golovkin's latest knockout win - a 32nd in 35 fights - came against Dominic Wade in April, and Chris Eubank Jr is among the fighters aiming for a shot at his titles.
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