Earlier today, former unified heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who has fought just once since defeating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, revealed that a showdown with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is at an advanced stage of discussions.

Fury, 29, looked somewhat labored in his comeback fight, a fourth-round retirement of Sefer Seferi in June, in what was his first bout since the Klitchsko fight.

The Brit’s comeback continues on August 18 against Italian Francesco Pianeta at Northern Ireland’s Windsor Park, and if he comes through that unscathed, the focus will switch to Wilder later this year.

"I can confirm that me and Deontay Wilder are in negotiations and it's very close to being done,” Fury said via the Manchester Evening News.

“It's out there now and I can reveal that negotiations are very strong for December and we're almost done with this deal. I won't be overlooking Francesco Pianeta. He's going to give me the right fight and the right work to prepare me for Wilder."

“I'm going to flatten [Pianeta] first and then Wilder, let's dance. You've been dealing with Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua but I am a man of my word and if I say I'll fight you, I'll fight you. Prepare well, train hard and let's get the deal done. I will knock Pianeta into next week and then I'll knock you spark out too."

Representatives of Wilder confirmed Monday that they are negotiating a fight with Fury for the fall.

Wilder was last in action back in March, when he survived near disaster in a wild seventh round - to score a tenth round knockout over Luis Ortiz.

“Both teams want the biggest fight possible,” said Jay Deas, trainer and manager for Wilder, to the Tuscaloosa News.

“This would be an enormous fight, just enormous. One thing I can say for certain: If this can be worked out, Deontay Wilder would have been involved in the two biggest fights of 2018, Wilder-(Luis) Ortiz and Wilder-Furyd. And if he were to win against Fury, as we fully expect, then Deontay would be an international superstar in control of the boxing world.

“This would be fight of the year. We’d have 13 feet, 4 inches (Fury is 6-foot-9, Wilder 6-7) and 500 pounds of hard-punching, trash-talking, knockout heavyweights.”