By Luke Furman
According to a report in RDS, heavyweight contender Oscar Rivas of Canada is close to completing a four-fight co-promotional deal with Top Rank and ESPN.
Rivas' lead promoter is Yvon Michel, who is already involved in a co-promotional deal with Top Rank for light heavyweight Eleider Alvarez.
There is still talk of Rivas being part of the June 15th undercard to Tyson Fury vs. Tom Schwarz on June 15th in Las Vegas, but he might also be part of card featuring stablemate Eleider Alvarez on June 28th in Canada.
There is strong possibility that Rivas will face Fury by the end of the year, if the Briton does not face his compatriot and unified world champion Anthony Joshua or the Deontay Wilder in a rematch.
A fight with Joshua is very unlikely, and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has already stated that Fury will likely not face Wilder until 2020.
Rivas was one of the names being kicked around for Fury's return in June, but Schwarz - ranked 2 in the WBO but largely untested - was selected for the contest.
Schwarz has almost no experience in the amateur ranks and has no notable names on his professional career. He is still ranked second in the WBO since he's had the organization's intercontinental belt for almost two years now.
Rivas crashed on the heavyweight scene back in January, when he knocked out veteran Bryant Jennings in the twelfth round of their ESPN scrap.
Meanwhile, Michel said he does not expect once-beaten contender Kubrat Pulev to be on the list of potential rivals in Rivas in the near future.
Pulev beat Bogdan Dinu by technical knockout this past Saturday - and called for a fight with Rivas to avenge a loss in Olympic Games presented in Beijing in 2008 - but Pulev suffered a serious cut in the win which needs time to heal and he likely won't risk his mandatory position under the IBF.
Luke Furman covers boxing for bokser.org
