Negotiations appear to be “moving quickly” as Chris Eubank Jr looks to finalise a deal for his ring return.
The 36-year-old has not fought since last November, when a lethargic performance saw him lose his middleweight rematch to Conor Benn by unanimous decision.
Earlier that year, Eubank had outpointed his rival by a consensus margin of 116-112, despite being subjected to the same second-day rehydration limit of 170lbs.
In both encounters, though, it must be said that Eubank was hardly firing on all cylinders, whether because of his weight-making struggles or the natural deterioration of his physical capabilities.
Either way, the Brighton man is seemingly looking to fight at a catchweight of 164lbs for his next outing, which is reportedly set to take place in Melbourne later this year.
In terms of an opponent, it would seem that former world title challenger Michael Zerafa is the likely candidate, despite him coming off a rather controversial encounter with Nikita Tszyu.
In fact, their all-Australian clash ended in a no-contest through two completed rounds after Zerafa told the ringside doctor that he was experiencing blurry vision.
With this information, the referee drew an immediate halt to their January contest, which saw both combatants collide at a catchweight of 157lbs.
Hoping to win back the Australian public’s support, Zerafa has now told World Boxing News that the Eubank fight is “so close” to being finalised.
“It’s moving quickly now and we’re pushing to get it done.”
While an official date is yet to be announced, BoxingScene has reported that Eubank and Zerafa are likely to square off in August or September.