WBO world middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders insists he's fully prepared to meet the challenge laid down by WBA super, WBC and IBF king Gennady Golovkin.

Saunders (24-0-KO12) defended his crown once in 2016 amid injury problems, but although he claims to currently be four-and-a-half stone overweight, he wants the chance to unify the entire 160-pound division in June.

The 27-year-old southpaw told ESPN: "The teams are talking, and we're waiting on a date. I'm waiting patiently. He says he wants to fight. We can't wait around forever, because there are other options.

"I would like a big unification, so I hope it's going to go ahead. We've just got to wait to see what happens with the two teams. We've got a Plan B, but Golovkin is Plan A, so if he wants it, it's there.

"I boxed only once last year, and we're nearly in April, so I want to get out pretty sharpish. I'm never in fighting fit shape. I'm never down to weight. I'm always tons of weight over, so I've got loads of work to do.

Billy Joe Saunders (right) won the WBO world title by outpointing Andy Lee in December 2015. Dave Thompson/Getty Images

"I'm about four-and-a-half stone overweight at the minute, so if Golovkin wants it, then he needs to let me know quick so I can get this weight off and get ready."

Golovkin (37-0-KO33) made his U.K. debut in September 2016, halting Kell Brook in the fifth round, and he most recently defended his belts with a unanimous decision win over Daniel Jacobs in New York. But promoter Tom Loeffler recently opened the door to the possibility of a homecoming in his native Kazakhstan.

On the prospect of having to travel, Saunders said: "From what my management have told me about the talks, I've nothing to object against. It's not about the money for me; it's about the challenge. Every penny I earn from this fight, I'll give to my dad. I don't want a penny of it.

"I want to go and prove the world wrong. Let everyone doubt me. I'll prove to the world what I can do, and there's no better place to do that than in his backyard. That will get me fired up even more.

"I watched the Jacobs fight yesterday, and I think I can undo something in Golovkin and get the win. I know what I can do to beat Golovkin, and that's why I didn't stay up to watch that fight.

"If you stand in front of him to have a punch-up, then you're asking for trouble. But it you want to be clever, that's the way forward. You've got to be very cute against someone like Golovkin, and I believe he's never been in the ring with someone with as much ringcraft as I've got.

"My message to him is this: 'You can keep going on about how you want all the belts, but it's put up or shut up now. You either want to fight me in June or not. You've been mentioning my name, and I'll happily, happily oblige you with a fight. Let's stop wasting time and let's go.'"

Saunders won his world title in December 2015, when he knocked Ireland's Andy Lee down on the way to a majority points decision and made his maiden defense with a unanimous points win over Artur Akavov a year later.