Josh Taylor is set to defend his WBO light-welterweight title against Teofimo Lopez after terms were agreed for a fight in New York on 10 June.
Alhough a deal is yet to be formally signed, the 32-year-old Scot has consented to take on Lopez, the American who shot to stardom with a stunning win over Vasyl Lomachenko in 2020.
Taylor had been due to face English rival Jack Catterall in a long-awaited rematch before sustaining a foot injury that led to a postponement.
A venue has not been confirmed for the meeting with Lopez, 25, but Madison Square Garden is one of the options under consideration.
Having become the division’s undisputed champion with victory over Jose Ramirez in May 2021, Taylor vacated three of the four belts to facilitate a rematch with Catterall after their first fight ended in a controversial points win for the Tartan Tornado in Glasgow last February.
Whether that rematch now takes place at some point in the future is unclear.
Lopez’s unanimous points win over Lomachenko added the WBA, WBO and WBC ‘franchise’ lightweight titles to his IBF title, but he subsequently lost the belts in his next outing when he suffered a shock defeat to George Kambosos.
In 2022, Lopez beat Pedro Campa then overcame Sandor Martin on a split decision.
