Eddie Hearn, promoter for IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (22-0, 21 KOs), is back in talks for a potential unification with WBC world champion Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs).
Before that can happen, Wilder will make a high profile defense against Tyson Fury in the main event of a Showtime Pay-Per-View on December 1 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Hearn is in talks with Wilder's lead manager, Al Haymon, hoping to get the ball rolling before Wilder faces Fury.
Joshua is scheduled to fight again on April 13 at Wembley in London.
He fought at the venue last month, when scoring a seventh round knockout of WBA mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin.
Hearn told Sky Sports: "We are kind of talking to Al Haymon and some legal guys on his side. There are people that want to help and make this fight happen.
"Even in Chicago, I had a couple of conversations over two days with someone who felt they could help and it was so productive. We were talking about splits and numbers. It's so natural to do that.
"He's a powerful player in the world of boxing and has the ears of Wilder's team. He probably feels like there needs a mediator to say, 'I spoke to Eddie, this is interesting, how do you feel?' If you negotiate on emotion, then the fight will never get made. I don't negotiate on emotion. Some people do that and Shelly does."
Hearn wants to get the terms going before the Wilder-Fury contest takes off.
Some of Wilder's handlers are not interested in negotiating the terms until after the Fury contest has concluded.
The logic of that position, is Wilder will have a much stronger bargaining role with a spectacular victory over Fury - who is still the lineal champion of the division with his 2015 stunning decision win over former division king Wladimir Klitschko.
"I'm not saying it's done, but we made progress because we had a conversation," added Hearn. "I want to be in a position where, by December 1, we are done or almost done. We just have to watch the fight and sign the deal after. There's still a lot of work to do, but at least there's conversation and at least we are discussing the deal points.
"I think everyone wants the fight. The attitude of Shelly is 'we're not making that fight, they're not serious.' Why do they think we keep coming back to the table? It's not for a laugh or to look good. I wouldn't bother. We want to fight Wilder. That's why we are the ones continually and consistently making the effort. Progress is significant in the fact we are talking. In terms of actual progress, it's small. Once the communication lines are open, that's positive, that's all I can say.
"Maybe it's a breakthrough, they'll come back. All we want is for their team to come back if they don't like the offer and tell us why not, so we can try and make it work. By just saying, 'no, we're not going to talk', how do you even have a chance to make the fight?"
