Peter Quillin has until Sept. 4 to accept fight or lose title belt

NEW YORK -- Peter Quillin’s WBO-mandated middleweight title defense against No. 1 contender Matt Korobov remains in limbo, with the WBO granting Quillin a second extension on Tuesday, pushing the deadline for him to accept the fight to 4 p.m. Thursday.

The WBO says no further extensions will be granted.

According Oscar De La Hoya, the Golden Boy Promotions president whose company has promoted most of Quillin’s fights, the delay is related to Quillin’s wife recently giving birth.

“Peter just had a little baby,” De La Hoya told SI.com. “His wife had complications with trying to get pregnant, so we thought the extension was well-deserved for them. It was very difficult for them to get pregnant and have the baby, so the extension was deserved.”

On paper, the offer to fight Korobov appears to be a good deal for Quillin. The winning purse bid of $1.9 million -- submitted by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, a newcomer to boxing promotion --  guarantees Quillin a $1.2 million payday. Roc Nation plans to hold the fight on Nov. 1 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where Quillin has fought two of his last four fights. And while Korobov (24-0) is a solid prospect, he has yet to look impressive since turning pro in 2008 following a decorated amateur career.

When asked about the deal on the table, De La Hoya supported it enthusiastically.

“It’s a great deal,” he said. “More power to Roc Nation.”

If Quillin rejects the fight he would be forced to vacate his title, and the WBO would order Korobov to face the next highest rated contender for the belt. Ireland’s Billy Joe Saunders (20-0) is the next highest rated contender, according to the WBO’s most recent rankings.