By Steve Kim

While Gennady Golovkin (36-0, 33KOs) and his representatives continue to try and hammer out a fight with mandatory challenger Danny Jacobs for early 2017, the biggest fight out on the horizon for the middleweight king is a showdown with Mexican star, Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (48-1-1, 34KOs).

And according to Tom Loeffler, the managing director of K2 Promotions, talks are ongoing.

"I've been in contact with Eric Gomez( president of Golden Boy Promotions) and we're in discussions for a September 2017 date - and hopefully we're not getting ahead of ourselves - so (Gennady) can fight Danny Jacobs and then we look forward to a fight with 'Canelo' Alvarez," he revealed to BoxingScene.com on Tuesday afternoon.

Earlier this year, Alvarez vacated his WBC middleweight title rather than go through with an edict from the sanctioning body to face Golovkin, who at the time held the WBA, IBO, WBC-interim and IBF belts. The World Boxing Council later made Golovkin their full champion.

Canelo dropped back to junior middleweight last month and knocked out previously unbeaten Liam Smith to capture the WBO 154-pound belt before 50,000 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Canelo was scheduled to fight on December 10th but suffered a hand injury against Smith and pushed back his return to 2017. According to his management, he plans to test the waters in the middleweight division - at the division limit of 160 - in his next fight. Both of his previously fights in the middleweight division took place at 155-pounds.

After Canelo stepped away from the December 10th date, Golovkin was then scheduled to take over that HBO televised slot, against Jacobs, but the two sides are still unable to reach an agreement and now that fight is being targeted for next year as well.

Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.