Chris Arreola and Oleg Maskaev are near a deal to fight Oct. 3 in Southern California, sources said.

The heavyweight fight could take place at either Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif., or the open-air Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Arreola (27-0, 24 knockouts) had hoped to fight either of the Klitschko brothers, Vitali and Wladimir, but Vitali has agreed to meet David Haye on Sept. 12 and Wladimir is negotiating to fight Alexander Povetkin.

Arreola, who lives in Riverside, not far from Ontario, is coming off an impressive fourth-round knockout of Jameel McCline in April.

He’s ranked No. 1 by the WBC, meaning he will be the mandatory challenger for Wladimir Klitschko if both win their fights.

Maskaev (36-6, 27 KOs) is a former titleholder but is 40 years old.