A heavyweight unification bout between WBO champion Joseph Parker and IBF and WBA champion Anthony Joshua is "very close" to being announced according to Parker's trainer, Kevin Barry.
Talks between Parker's promoter, David Higgins, and Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, have been steadily progressing, with Barry confident a deal will be announced in the next "seven to 10" days.
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Speaking to Andrew Gourdie and Jim Kayes on RadioLIVE's Sunday Sport, Barry said he has already begun preparing the 25-year-old Parker for the fight, which would take place in March.
"We are very close to reaching an agreement, and like I said we have made several concessions because we want this fight.
"We want Joseph's body in the right shape to enter our biggest-ever training camp. Hopefully, in the next week to 10 days, we will be able to say it's Anthony Joshua.
"One thing I can tell you as a fact is that Sky UK wants this fight. They want Joseph Parker. They want Parker in front of Joshua, and that helps us with our negotiations and gives us leverage."
It is expected the fight will take place at a big venue in the United Kingdom, with Twickenham, Millennium Stadium or Wembley being touted as a possible venue.
All three of those venues can hold well over 80,000 people, and Barry knows the fight would be one of the biggest sporting events of 2018.
"Right from the get-go we've had an idea of where we've wanted to be, what we thought as fair for Joseph Parker and his team.
"This is very big business and this will be one of the biggest boxing fights in 2018, so it is important that we do the business part correctly.
"We haven't had a unification fight in heavyweight world boxing in seven years and it is important we maximise the business to achieve this fight."
Barry admits they were very close to securing a fight against Australian Lucas Browne, but after Eddie Hearn called out the Kiwi, Parker was determined to make this fight happen.
"I was looking at Lucas Browne earlier and he was a guy who was going to be a very good stepping stone for us.
"He's undefeated guy, 25-0, 22 KOs, but Eddie Hearn came out and started calling out Joe and he said, 'If they want me to, let's get the fight,' so that is when the whole team decided to try make that fight happen."
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