By Steve Kim

Sources have informed BoxingScene.com that a welterweight bout between Sadam Ali (22-0, 13KOs) and Jessie Vargas (26-1, 9KOs) is in the final stages of negotiations and being planned for March. It's still not clear if the WBO title will be at stake.

The current WBO welterweight champion is Timothy Bradley, who is scheduled to face Manny Pacquiao for a third time on April 9th from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Bradley was ordered last year to face Ali, who is rated number one by the organization. The WBO allowed Bradley to make a voluntary defense of his title against Brandon Rios last November, but the winner had to face Ali within 90 days.

Ali last fought on April 25th at the Madison Square Garden in New York where he out-pointed Francisco Santana over ten rounds. Vargas, was last seen on June 27th at the StubHub Center in Carson, California where he lost a twelve rounder to Bradley.

A bout between Ali and Vargas was being discussed last year, but during the initial negotiations the fight fell apart over the location. This time around, both sides appear to be on the same page and motivated to get a deal done.

Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com