Kell Brook edges closer to Brandon Rios fight but still wants Floyd Mayweather showdown

Kell Brook says his team is close to agreeing a meeting with Brandon Rios, but claims he would still love to face Floyd Mayweather.

IBF welterweight titleholder Brook, who was stabbed in the leg whilst holidaying in Tenerife last year, returned to the ring three months ago with a straightforward win over Jo Jo Dan and provided a second successful defence of his title on 30 May against Frankie Gavin at London's O2 Arena.

Mayweather, meanwhile, cruised to a unanimous decision victory in the so-called 'Fight of the Century' with Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas last time out and has one more scheduled bout remaining on a contract with Showtime before his likely retirement from the sport.

While a number of the division's biggest names are understandably eager to provide opposition for that farewell fight, the five-division world champion looks set to aim his sights elsewhere with Haitian-born American Andre Berto said to be on a list of prospective candidates alongside Karim Mayfield.

Former WBA lightweight champion Rios should provide a tougher test for Brook, with the Sheffield native confirming that the contest looks set to take place in London on 12 September – the same date as Mayweather is due to fight next.

"Yeah we're very close to making that (Rios) fight happen now and it looks like it's going to be September 12," he told Sky Sports. "There's also another fighter who wants to fight on that day and that's Floyd Mayweather Jr. If he wants to compete at welterweight and unify the division then it's a natural choice to fight me.

"He's boxed at a really high level against Manny Pacquiao but is now talking about other names that bring nothing to the table. Me, I'm unbeaten, I bring a world title to the table and I believe I can beat Floyd. You never know with Mayweather. He's got the rest of the titles and I've got the IBF title so it makes sense. I'm unbeaten and I think it'd be a massive fight, Britain against America. I think it's a big, big fight.

"If I were him, I'd keep well away from me. I am hungry and I want to take that zero and turn it into a one. People would really be excited about that fight. There's me and Keith Thurman that can cause Mayweather problems. I'd love to take the task of beating Floyd Mayweather. I'm going to be ready for September 12 whether it's Rios or Mayweather. It's looking like it'll be the O2 in London. It's a fantastic arena and I got a fantastic reception there last time."

Amir Khan, another welterweight desperate to secure a lucrative fight with Mayweather, was touted as a potential future opponent for Brook after the latter threw down the gauntlet immediately after making light work of Dan.

Rather than agree to face Brook, however, the Olympic silver medalist instead finalised negotiations to take on Chris Algieri in Brooklyn. Khan won that match before reaffirming his desire to battle Mayweather by pointing to his status as the WBC's number one challenger.