The rematch between British heavyweight rivals Tony Bellew and David Haye is being targeted for a date in December, says promoter Eddie Hearn.
Bellew, who at the time was the WBC cruiserweight champion, moved up to heavyweight in March and pulled off a major upset with an eleven round stoppage of Haye, a former two division world champion.
During the contest, Haye ruptured his Achilles and was forced to fight in the second half of the fight on one leg.
Haye underwent surgery and believes that he could be physically ready to fight by as early as October, but Hearn - who promotes Bellew - is not taking any chances and wants to ensure that Haye is 100% for the second fight.
"I think with David's injury, although it looks like he might be ready for October/November, we leave it for December to make sure he is 110 percent so that he can prove that to the fans in his preparation for the fight," Hearn said to Sky Sports News.
"The public want to see the rematch and although I believe Tony can beat WBO champion Joseph Parker and become heavyweight champion of the world, part of me wants the Haye rematch so that Tony can show he can win that fight without any excuses."
In order to make that rematch, Hearn quickly cautions that Haye must humble himself by accepting the fact that this time around Bellew is the A-side of the equation.
"Tony is up for the rematch and the biggest thing for him is getting the respect in the negotiations that he had to cower to in the first fight," Hearn said.
"We were given the opportunity to fight Haye in a deal that Tony didn't believe was fair, but ultimately I convinced him. We were glad we took that fight, but there were elements and aspects of that deal that were condescending. Very simply, Tony now wants the flip of that deal. He wants what David had last time, and vice versa.
"Haye needs this fight badly, there is no other fight for him other than Tony Bellew. On the other hand, there are many fights for Tony, but it's not a case of going to Haye and holding him to ransom. Haye said after the first fight that he knows there are many things he has to do in the rematch and he has to give Tony respect, if he does that then the rematch can happen and can be done very quickly."