Gennady Golovkin would dish out a reality check if Amir Khan hangs around in the middleweight division, claims his promoter.
The pound-for-pound king from Kazakhstan is IBF and WBA 'Super' middleweight champion and plans to cash in his mandatory challenger status for Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez's WBC title.
Bolton puncher Khan has emerged as a new contender at 160lbs after stepping up two weight divisions to vie for Alvarez's belt in May, potentially stepping into Golovkin's line of fire.
"The priority is the mandatory position that Gennady has with Canelo," his promoter Tom Loeffler told Sky Sports. "That would be the biggest fight in boxing.
"Clearly, if Amir won [against Canelo] then he would inherit the championship and the order from the WBC is clear: the winner from that fight must fight Golovkin or get stripped of the title.
"Khan has a unique style with his height, reach and hand speed but I think Gennady would be able to adapt. The unique thing with Gennady that keeps impressing me is his footwork and the distances in which he can judge his punch and not get hit flush. Gennady's ability to cut off the ring means he can adapt to [Khan's] style.
"He relishes the prospect of hitting anyone's chin. He's had 21 knockouts in a row and a lot of those guys had never been stopped before. It's a streak we look forward to continuing."
The undefeated Golovkin (34-0-KO31) must first turn his attention to a mandatory defence of his titles against Dominic Wade next month before awaiting the outcome of Canelo vs Khan.
Loeffler insists that Khan (31-3-KO19) is an attractive proposition for Golovkin in the same way that a mooted fight against former IBF super-middleweight champion Carl Froch would have been.
"From a marketing and promotional standpoint, Amir brings a lot to the table," Loeffler said. "That's what we always said about a fight with Froch because he would bring the UK fans. We'll see a similar situation with Khan, where he adds a different element by bringing UK fans and combining them with Gennady's following in the States.
"Khan-Golovkin would be a huge fight in the UK but would be even bigger in the US, from a financial perspective."
However, Loeffler confirmed he still plans to bring the world's pound-for-pound best boxer to British shores having held discussions with West Ham to fight at Upton Park or the Olympic Stadium later this year.
Billy Joe Saunders, the WBO champion who defends against Max Bursak next month, remains the likeliest contender to oppose Golovkin should a stadium deal be finalised.
"We would still be very interested in a fight there with Saunders," Loeffler said.
"If [Canelo or Khan] doesn't happen, for whatever reason, then Saunders would be at the top of our list to unify the middleweight division. Gennady is the type of fighter that doesn't care where he fights.
"If the stars align, I could see a scenario where Gennady fights two premiere UK fighters in 2016, who would both be world champions by that point."