Tyson Fury's discussions with Dillian Whyte regarding their WBC mandated bout have rumbled on for a while and a conclusion could be reached this week.
Whyte was widely expected to be mandated for the fight but the governing body delayed their decision due to an ongoing arbitration case with the Brit - which has sent the scene for negotiations.
Purse bids for Fury 's fight with Whyte have been delayed on three occasions amid a stand-off, with Whyte pushing to get more of the 20% purse split that the WBC has mandated.
That has raised questions whether a fight would go ahead, particularly with Fury's camp floating the likes of Robert Helenius and Manuel Charr as alternative opponents.
The turning point, however, may have occurred elsewhere following reports that Anthony Joshua is ready to accept a £15m pay-off and step aside from his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
That would free Usyk's schedule for a unification bout against Fury and may now lead to further frustrations for Whyte.
With the latest date for purse bids set for Wednesday, a conclusion could come this week and it may see Whyte accept a similar pay-off to free Fury from his mandated fight.
However, questions would orientate around when Whyte would get his chance at the title - particularly with his arbitration case with the WBC orientating around the delay he has endured to get his shot at the belt.
With it expected that Joshua will face-off against the winner of Fury vs Usyk, that would push Whyte further into the horizon - and it's highly unlikely that he too would be given a shot at the unified belts.
Instead, one potential outcome is that the WBC belt is vacated following the unification bout, potentially leading to Whyte facing-off against Joseph Parker - who is a close friend of Tyson Fury and has made it clear he won't face the Gypsy King despite his high ranking in the WBC.
