The boxing rumour mill, oiled by Matt Macklin himself, is churning out talk of a potential clash between the Tipperary Tornado and England’s Brian Rose [28(8)-3(3)-1].

Rose, a former light middleweight World title challenger, took to social media to announce that his fight on the April 9th Sky PPV show at the O2 Arena in London will be confirmed this week.

Looking forward to my fight being announced this week for April 9th at O2 arena #timetoshine @… https://t.co/6Z2OJ8m3R5

— Brian Rose (@Brian_Lion_Rose) January 24, 2016

Then, less than an hour later, Macklin teased through Twitter that details of his next fight will be announced soon. Although it should be noted that Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn has already confirmed that the former European Champion will fight on the April 9th card.

Announcement on next fight coming soon!

— matthew macklin (@mattmacklin) January 24, 2016

The two-time World title challenger also tantalisingly gave his approval to a response that mooted a clash with the Birmingham-born, Blackpool-raised Rose.

Macklin [34(22)-6(4)] also confirmed that his next fight will see him return to middleweight following his brief trip back down to light middleweight to face Jason Welborn last October. Rose, though having spent the majority of his career at 154lbs, is now campaigning at middleweight.

Talk of the fight may not come as a surprise to some, especially considering that initial rumours emerged last month. Nevertheless, the clash on the Anthony Joshua-headlined card now seems closer to being confirmed than ever.

Indeed, if the fight is given the go-ahead, it is viewed by the bookmakers as a near-50/50 affair – with the Irishman being viewed as a slight underdog.

33 year old Macklin, who is also rumoured to be interested in facing long-time Irish rival Andy Lee, is looking to make one final assault on World honours following a long and decorated career which has also seen him branch into management and promotion with the rapidly-growing Macklin’s Gym Marbella.