Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder could both box on a ‘semi-final’ card this summer before facing each other in December.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn reopened talks with Wilder’s influential advisor Al Haymon this week following the American’s 10th-round stoppage win of Luis Ortiz in New York.
Now all the attention turns to March 31 when Joshua defends his WBA and IBF titles against WBO king Joseph Parker at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
Whoever wins in the Welsh capital is expected to secure a lucrative clash with Wilder which would produce the first ever world heavyweight champion to hold all four major titles at once.
Hearn is already working on a potential deal should AJ win what is arguably the toughest fight of his career when he takes on New Zealand’s undefeated world champion on Easter Saturday.
However the Matchroom Boxing boss has revealed there is no chance that any potential fight between Joshua and Wilder could take place at Wembley in 2018, although there is a date held for a showdown at the National Stadium next year.
Instead, it is likely that Joshua would have to travel to America to fight Wilder if he is successful in Cardiff.
And now Hearn has opened the door to the idea of the two heavyweight stars featuring on the same card against different opponents in a bid to further raise the profile of what could become the richest heavyweight fight in history.
However, he does have some reservations about the plan following Wilder’s performance against Ortiz.
‘Yeah the idea of having them box on the same card as a build-up to them fighting each other is an option,’ he said.