Sports Agent Anthony Micallef has confirmed that light welterweight boxing champion Lance Gostelow could fight in Malta in the next 12 months.

The current WBO Oriental light welterweight champion was in Malta last week and is satisfied that Micallef can put on a show with local boxing authorities that will see the first current professional boxer be involved in a bout in Malta since 2000.

25-year-old Lance Gostelow, currently the second-in-line Australian contender to Manny Pacquaio and Ricky Hatton, enjoyed his first visit to his motherland nation.

A1 Sports Management Director Anthony Micallef says however, he will be hard-pressed to find a boxer the calibre of Gostelow to go the distance for the boxing spectacle that will happen within 12 months.

“It’s not going to be easy to find somebody to go into the ring with Lance and that’s understandable because Lance will be the best boxer to reach Maltese shores in a very long time” said Micallef.

Gostelow takes on Fatai Onikeke in October for the WBO Africa light welterweight title in Melbourne before seeking a return challenge for the world championship belt after the proposed bout in Malta.

A win against Onikeke will rank Gostelow inside the world’s top ten light welterweights.

“But the call is out there. If anyone is interested, they know where to get a hold of me – and we’ll sit down and get started with the logistics of it all. I’ve had a couple of names bandied around at me, of who could give Lance a challenge, but it’s all talk until they really want to make it happen.”

Lance is considered to be the best Australian-Maltese boxer since three-time world champion and hall-of-famer Jeff Fenech”

Gostelow has only lost twice so far in his career, one for the WBF light welterweight championship of the World – a points decision loss – and the other to Thai Somchai Nakbalee who he returned to defeat only four months later.

Micallef said “The logistics of the event are amazing on so many levels. But first things first, if there’s any boxer in Malta who thinks they’re half a chance, then I’m looking forward to them putting their hand up for the challenge.”

The last sanctioned professional boxing bout in Malta was between Frederic Bonifai and Arakat Mkrtchian in 2000.