Floyd Mayweather Jr's promise that British light-welterweight fighter Ashley Theophane will get the first shot at Adrien Broner and his recently won WBA super-lightweight belt is inching closer to reality.
Englishman Theophane posed with his mentor and promoter Mayweather at the retired champion's Las Vegas gym on Tuesday and predicted he would be adding a 40th career win to his record when he finally meets Broner.
'Good seeing @FloydMayweather today,' the 35-year-old, nicknamed Treasure, posted on Instagram. 'Victory 40 coming up! #BronerTheophane.'
Mayweather has told Theophane he would be the one to take on Broner for his title after the American beat unheralded Khabib Allakhverdiev for the vacant title this month, and the man known as 'The Problem' has called the Brit out.
'I'm going to fight who I want to fight and when I want to fight them. You know, they say my big bro, the one, the only Floyd Mayweather, he say he got a fighter that he feels like he can beat me,' Broner said following his less than intimidating win over Allakhverdiev in Cincinnati.
'I think his name is Ashley, but if that is true, this is what you do, big bro, because bosses talk to bosses. You put Ashley on one of your private jets, bring him to come see me.'
Broner's October 3 fight, won with 39 seconds left before it would have gone to the judges cards, was his first since he was beaten on points by Shawn Porter back in June,
Theophane is promoted by Mayweather Jr, who Broner has spent time under the wing of and who the 26-year-old refers to as his 'big bro', so a date for a showdown is only a matter of time.
At almost the exact same that Theophane was striking a serious pose with the Money Man on social media, Broner was dishing out his own brand of foul-mouthed tirades on Twitter about those who deride his choice of opponents.
Mayweather Jr, who's hung up the gloves since his easy points win over Andre Berto, has taken Theophane under his wing since the pair built up a friendship in New York.
'I went over and the first day I was there, Floyd saw me there and asked who I was and I said 'I am the British champ.' A year went by and I had lost my British title so I decided if I could go back to try and get on Floyd's team,' Theophane told Sky Sports.
'I went back and the very first day Floyd said, 'The London guy is back', and from there we just built up the relationship.
'Floyd is a nice guy. He has all the money but he wants to help. For me as a boxer, it is inspiring to see a man that has so much money but is still working and wants everyone around him to achieve their dreams as well.
'I used to be in London watching him but now he is my boss and my friend.'
Mayweather Jr helped prepare Broner for his defeat by Porter, in which a final round knockdown wasn't enough to swing a victory.
