Former world champion Alexander Povetkin (32-1, 23 KOs) is hoping that a victory in his upcoming eliminator with Christina Hammer will lead to a world title showdown.
Povetkin will collide with Hammer on December 15 in Moscow, Russia.
The fight has already been sanctioned as a final WBO final eliminator for a crack at champion Joseph Parker.
But the WBA may very well sanction it as a final eliminator as well, because Povetkin is ranked at number 2 and Hammer is ranked at 3. The top rated fighter is Fres Oquendo, who is already facing WBA "regular" champion Manuel Charr.
"I hope so [that I earn a title shot next]. I want to fight the best in the world, and Anthony Joshua is by far one of the best heavyweights in the world," Povetkin told Sky Sports.
"I always go into the ring with confidence to win. Now I have the closest fight with Chris Hammer and I'm concentrating on the next fight. For any fight, it will not be easy. In the heavyweight division, one blow can solve everything. I'm tuned into battle."
At the moment, Joshua is actually in talks for a unification with Parker in the first quarter of 2018. The two sides are having some trouble reaching an agreement on the financial split of the money, with Parker holding firm on a 65-35 deal in favor of Joshua, who wants a bigger percentage to do the fight.
If those talks fall apart, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn revealed a few days ago that his company will consider Povetkin as a possible backup option.
"Alexander Povetkin is fighting Christian Hammer which could be the final eliminator to be Joshua's mandatory," said Hearn. "We have spoken about Joshua vs Povetkin, and the likelihood of that.
"We have a really good relationship with World of Boxing, who are his promoters. They have a situation where they can fight a final eliminator to be the mandatory for Joshua, or for the WBO, so they are making that decision now."
