The Ring has been informed that, after a prolonged period of negotiations, a deal has been struck for them to fight. Barboza (32-1, 11 KOs) and Sims (22-3-1, 8 KOs) will likely meet on a Golden Boy Promotions card March 14 at Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

For both men, their long winning streaks came to an end in their last appearances.

In the case of Sims (22-3-1, 8 KOs), he saw his nine-fight winning streak end at the hands of Oscar Duarte on August 2.

Sims, 32, fought hard in front of his hometown fans at the University of Illinois-Chicago. However, the relentless pressure of Mexico’s Duarte (30-2-1, 23 KOs), along with his combination punching, led to a majority-decision defeat.

The winning streak of Barboza, The Ring’s sixth-ranked junior welterweight, was even more impressive. The 34-year-old Barboza began his career 32-0 and captured the WBO interim junior welterweight title before losing a 12-round unanimous decision to former Ring/WBO champ Teofimo Lopez on The Ring’s card May at Times Square in New York.

Fighting at welterweight is something Barboza spoke openly about after his loss to Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs). The South El Monte, California native will now make the jump against Sims, who has fluctuated between taking fights at both junior welterweight and welterweight over the last few years.