ANTHONY JOSHUA is set for an August 12 return with Dillian Whyte in line for a rematch.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has been in negotiations for a December super-fight in Saudi Arabia against Deontay Wilder.
But no official offer has yet been made from the mega-rich backers in the Middle East.
And, with Joshua, 33, having just one fight under his new coach Derrick James, Hearn is eager to keep the newly formed pair busy.
Whyte, 34, has long been mentioned as an option for Joshua's return, despite the Saudis preferring him to wait out for Wilder.
And Hearn may have let slip that they will press on with a summer fight when running down Matchroom's list of upcoming shows.
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He told Boxing Social: "We've got May 27th, we've got June 10, we've got July 1st. We're probably going to go July 29 as well.
"AJ's probably fighting August 12th. It's the summer period and we're smashing out shows left, right and centre."
Joshua beat Jermaine Franklin in his comeback bout in April, following consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
And Whyte then emerged as the frontrunner for AJ's next fight, until shock talks to make the blockbuster bout with Wilder in the desert.
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Whyte – knocked out by Joshua in 2015 – questioned his old rival's confidence.
He told SunSport: “Fans must be getting p***ed off because people are promising and pushing for these fights and then bottling it when they are close to happening.
“Lots of big fights don’t happen, it’s annoying but people see it coming and have to accept it.
“Inactivity is killing the sport and it needs a shake-up. I am waiting for my next fight and was meant to fight Joshua after Jermaine Franklin.
“Joshua and his team told everybody, 'The winner of Whyte and Franklin fights AJ’ – and then they boxed the loser.
“But anyone who sees Joshua sitting around for nine months waiting for a Wilder cash-out will see a team that has lost its bottle.”
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