Joseph Parker's defence of his world title against Brit Hughie Fury is another step closer.
The WBO has ordered a purse bid to take place at their offices in Puerto Rico on Thursday next week, where the rival promoters get the chance to take control of the fight promotion.
Thewinning bidder will choose the venue and date. Champion Parker gets 60 per cent of the purse. A deal between the promoters can be worked out before the purse bid.
Duco Events and Bob Arum's Top Rank promote Parker while veteran boxing icon Frank Warren looks after Fury. The minimum bid is $1.38m and ESPN reported that if Duco won the fight rights, it would likely take place early April in New Zealand. But Warren is keen to hold the fight in Manchester, where Fury hails from.
The 22-year-old Fury is a cousin of former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, who vacated the WBO and WBA titles in October citing depression problems. Hughie has won all 20 of his professional bouts, 10 by knockout, but has not fought since April.
Warren said this week: "We're negotiating at the moment with Joseph Parker's people from New Zealand, and I believe we've got an excellent chance of putting the fight on in the UK."
