As its vacant cruiserweight title fight is still settling on a date and location, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) is already taking next steps towards lining up the first official challenger to the crown.

A final elimination contest between unbeaten cruiserweights Dilan Prasovic and Edin Puhalo, WBO staff alerted BoxingScene.com on Wednesday. The bout will establish the mandatory challenger for the winner of the yet-to-be-scheduled vacant cruiserweight title fight between Krzysztof Glowacki and Lawrence Okolie.

Representatives for Prasovic and Puhalo have “15 days upon receipt of this letter to negotiate and reach and agreement regarding the WBO (Cruiserweight) Elimination contest,” according to an official letter submitted to both boxers, and a copy of which has been obtained by BoxingScene.com.

In the event that the two cannot come to terms, a purse bid hearing will be scheduled for the first week of February at WBO headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The minimum acceptable bid is $300,000. Negotiations shouldn’t prove too complicated, however; both contenders are represented by Redzo Dedeic of Kety Box Promotions.

Montenegro’s Prasovic (13-0, 10KOs) is coming off of a three-win campaign in 2019, including a 3rd round knockout of Jackson Junior last December in Hameln, Germany, shortly before celebrating his 25th birthday.

Puhalo (19-0, 18KOs) also claimed three victories in 2019, and will enter the ordered eliminator riding a 17-fight knockout streak. The 31-year old Bosnian slugger has never been past four rounds through more than eight years as a pro, with his last six starts all ending inside of three rounds.

Whomever prevails will be first in line for the aforementioned clash between Poland’s Glowacki (31-2, 19KOs) and England’s Okolie (14-0, 11KOs). Their ordered vacant title fight is targeted to take place in April, although a formal announcement has yet to come for the contest nor for the rumored show in which it will land, as there have been talks of it serving in supporting capacity to Gennadiy Golovkin’s first defense of his second tour as a middleweight titlist.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox