Naseem celebrates beating Cesar Soto

"'Don wants us to fight the Prince in October. We've said yes to everything they've asked for so far," she said.

"They want it in New York in October in Radio City Music Hall and at 126 pounds. Johnny has agreed to that."

Neither fighter currently holds a title, but King is hoping Tapia will take care of that before October.

Tapia, 49-2-2 with 26 KOs, is scheduled to face Cesar Soto on 30 June in a non-title bout. Then, if all goes to plan, he will fight for a title in August against an as-yet unnamed opponent.

Provided Tapia wins those next two fights, Hamed will be waiting in October.

Tapia, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, could provide a stern test for the Prince. Since turning pro in 1988, he has earned a reputation as a warrior in the ring, not afraid of turning his fights into street brawls.

Tapia has only lost twice in 53 pro fights

His proudest moment was probably his 1997 victory over hometown rival Danny Romero, which unified the IBF and WBO junior bantamweight titles.

His only two losses were both close 12-round decisions to Paulie Ayala, the first in 1999 and the second in 2000.

Tapia's motto, "Mi Vida Loca," translated "My Crazy Life," is not a reflection on his choice of pop music. His life outside the ring has been tumultuous and difficult.

Both his parents were murdered before Tapia was ten years old, and his long-running battle with cocaine addiction led to a three-year suspension from boxing in the early 1990s.

Tapia may be slightly past his prime, but he is still a hardened ring veteran who will be more than a handful for Hamed.

Fight Between Friends

When Felix Trinidad moved up in weight to take part in the middleweight unification tournament, he vacated his WBA title at 154 pounds.

Thanks to the need to find a new light middleweight champion, the WBA has arranged what should be an entertaining fight on 22 September.

Jose "Shibata" Flores, the WBA's number-one ranked contender, and Fernando Vargas, ranked number two, will fight for the championship at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

The two fighters are good friends and frequent training partners, but odds are their acquaintance will be put on hold until after their autumn bout.