Heavyweight Anthony Joshua has started negotiations to face fellow Briton Daniel Dubois in September.
Joshua, 34, is expected to fight at Wembley Stadium on 21 September and was ringside to watch Dubois defeat Filip Hrgovic last Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren confirmed that talks are in progress.
Dubois, 26, secured a victory over Hrgovic in their IBF ‘interim’ title fight, positioning himself as the next potential mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk.
Ukrainian Usyk has requested that his IBF belt not be stripped to keep the undisputed title on the line for his rematch with Tyson Fury on 21 December.
If the IBF decides to strip Usyk, Dubois could be promoted to world champion, potentially turning a fight with Joshua into a title bout.
Joshua, currently on a four-fight winning streak, is a two-time unified world champion. After losing those titles in consecutive defeats to Usyk, Joshua has rebounded impressively, achieving three stoppages in his four subsequent victories.
Dubois has also been on a comeback path with two wins since his unsuccessful attempt to dethrone Usyk in August 2023. The Londoner stopped Jarrell Miller and then Hrgovic, the latter being a fight where Dubois was considered an underdog.