Joseph Diaz and Tevin Farmer finally see eye-to-eye on a second fight.

Now all that is needed is a confirmed fight date.

Multiple sources have informed BoxingScene.com. that terms have been verbally agreed to for a junior lightweight title fight rematch between Diaz and Farmer. Previous concerns in being able to advance the fight have since been rectified, although the most pressing matter—securing a televised date on DAZN—remains the greatest hurdle, with the pairing up against a deadline.

Diaz (31-1, 15KOs) claimed the title with a rousing 12-round unanimous decision win over Philadelphia’s Farmer (30-5-1, 6KOs) this past January in Miami, Florida. The bout streamed live on DAZN preceding Super Bowl LIV which took place mere miles away.

Because the fight was a voluntary defense attempted by Farmer, there existed an allowable rematch clause which was immediately enforced. Event promoter Eddie Hearn insisted at the time that plans for a rematch were tentatively targeted for mid-spring, only for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to shut down the sport—and most other forms of live entertainment—for nearly three months.

Once the sport resumed, Farmer and his team sough the rematch they felt was deserved, not to mention contractually obligated.

An issue arise which was further magnified by the pandemic wiping out the spring schedule. Diaz inherited a mandatory title defense versus Russia’s Shavkatadzhon Rakhimov (15-0, 12KOs), who was confirmed as the number-one contender in the IBF rankings following an investigation surrounding his 8th round knockout over Azinga Fuzile last September.

A post-pandemic ruling from the IBF provided an unintentional loophole as it relates to a Diaz-Farmer rematch. The New Jersey-based sanctioning body ordered the fight on July 7, though with a six-month time frame for negotiations before a purse bid would be called on January 14, 2021.

The unprecedented move provides wiggle room for Diaz to manage a voluntary defense—namely his contractually-owed second fight with Farmer—provided the winner immediately face Rakhimov.

Diaz has since aligned himself with powerful managerial conglomerate MTK Global, while at the time still figuring out his next move. The 2012 U.S. Olympian from South El Monte, California has since come around the prospect of once again facing Farmer.

Now they just have to figure out a way to do so with the title still being at stake.

Failure to secure the fight within the IBF deadline could result in Diaz being stripped of the title—perhaps the lesser of two evils, as opposed to being taken to court for avoiding a contractually-bound second fight with Farmer. Depending on the date that can be secured for the fight, a conversation will have to take place with the IBF to determine if the winner of such a fight can guarantee in a writing an immediate mandatory title defense versus Rakhimov.

Farmer made four successful defenses of the IBF junior lightweight strap he claimed in a dominant August 2018 points win over Billy Dib on the road in Australia. Beginning with that fight came a stretch where Farmer fought five times in 11 months, with wins over challengers James Tennyson, Francisco Fonseca, Jono Carroll and Guillaume Frenois all coming in a nine-month clip.

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