By Edward Chaykovsky
Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn is anticipating that rising heavyweight contender Anthony Joshua (13-0, 13KOs) will get a world title shot within twelve months.
Joshua, already ranked at #2 by the World Boxing Council, is getting closer to a mandatory shot at WBC kingpin Deontay Wilder (34-0, 33KOs). Wilder's current mandatory challenger is Alexander Povetkin of Russia.
That plan is certainly achievable considering how easily Joshua is blowing through the competition. Everyone from Wladimir Klitschko to Lennox Lewis have labeled Joshua as the future ruler of the heavyweight division.
Hearn is looking to place him in a big fight in September and then possibly against domestic rival Dillian Whyte in the fall.
Some of the names being mentioned for September include Gary Cornish, Tony Thompson and Mariusz Wach.
"I'd like to see Joshua challenge for the world heavyweight title in the next 12 months. Probably this time next year we'll see him involved in, if not world title fights, fringe 'elite' fights. He's got people to deal with domestically and you've got to understand that he wants to go through everybody," Hearn told Sky Sports.