Former world middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin 38-1-1 (34) could return to the ring in the UK in the new year to face WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith 25-0 (18).
It would be Golovkin’s first fight since losing his undefeated record – and WBA and WBC middleweight titles – to archrival Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in their September rematch.
The 36-year-old Kazakh bomber’s promoter Tom Loeffler told Behind the Gloves that there are lots of good fights at 168-pounds in the UK.
“Look, Callum Smith is doing well right now,” said Loeffler. “Chris Eubank Jr is fighting James DeGale – that’s a good fight.
“So there’s a lot of popular UK fighters. Coming back to the UK would be always something interesting for GGG as well.
“I think Callum Smith is a great fighter, tremendous fighter. Winning that tournament, that could be a great match-up for GGG.
“We’ve always said he would move up for the right fight.”
Smith surprised the boxing world with his seventh round knockout of George Groves in the final of the World Boxing Super Series in September.
Golovkin has previously fought in London when he knocked out Kell Brook in five rounds at the O2 Arena two years ago.
There was talk of Golovkin facing Billy Joe Saunders but that fight was scuttled when the British southpaw was stripped of his WBO title.
“That [the title] was the reason to fight Billy Joe, he’s a great fighter, undefeated, but the reason really to fight him was to collect that last title,” continued Loeffler.
“There’s bigger fights over here in the States, it’s always unfortunate when you have a champion that loses a title – not inside the ring.
“You can’t count him out, a fight with Billy Joe could still be possible if it makes sense.”