By Jake Donovan

As the clock winds down on the negotiation period for his heavyweight showdown with Ruslan Chagaev, unbeaten contender Lucas Browne is hopeful that both camps can come to an agreement before the matter goes to purse bid this week. 

Browne's camp also hopes to rewrite history with the forthcoming opportunity. It's been more than 100 years since Australia has played host to a heavyweight title fight (Chagaev holds a secondary title) and has never claimed a champion of its own in the most storied weight class in boxing history.  

Wherever the fight takes place. Browne will embrace the opportunity with open arms. That doesn't mean he can't wish to bring the fight to his hometown. 

"It's a really exciting stage of my career. I'm ready to become Australia's first ever heavyweight champion," Browne (22-0, 19KOs) said. "Even though there's no date set, I've begun training already and I'm really going the extra mile to make sure the WBA belt is mine.
 
"I'm happy to fight Chagaev anywhere but if it's in Australia I know it'll be huge. The public would love to see me knock him out to win the belt and I plan on doing exactly that."
 
The 35-year old heavyweight has recently celebrated six years in the pro ranks, three of which have been spent under the Hatton Promotions banner. The past couple of years have been spent building towards title contention, with wins over previously unbeaten heavyweights Richard Towers and Andriy Rudenko taking place in England. His most recent win - a 5th round injury stoppage of Chauncey Welliver last November - was spent at home, his first fight Down Under in nearly a year. 

The plan now is to keep it home. 
 
"Every time Lucas has stepped up he's performed and impressed people. I expect him to exactly the same against Chagaev," suggests Ricky Hatton, founder of Hatton Promotions and who has taken a personal interest in Browne's development. "If the fight is in Australia then it'll be one of the biggest events the country has ever seen. Australia fans are some of the best in the world and I think they'll fill a stadium for this one."

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox