Showtime Sports head Stephen Espinoza is expecting a future fight where Anthony Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) will defend his IBF, IBO, WBA heavyweight titles in the United States.
Joshua, who is under an exclusive television deal with Showtime, raised his profile to a new level this past Saturday night, when he got off the floor in the sixth round to stop former division ruler Wladimir Klitschko in the eleventh round before a crowd of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London.
There is a rematch clause in the contract, but Klitschko has yet to make a decision on whether or not he intends to pursue that possibility.
If there is a rematch, that fight will happen in the fall and likely at a large venue in the UK.
Espinoza hopes to have Joshua in the United States within the next few fights.
"In our discussions with both [promoter] Eddie Hearn and Anthony, coming to America is definitely a priority," Espinoza exclusively told Sky Sports. "I believe he is going to take a little bit of time off after this fight. Whether there is a rematch or not, remains to be seen, but I know that having a fight in the US, in the next couple of fights, is definitely a priority."
One major fight that could take place in the United States would be against WBC champion Deontay Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs), who also fights on Showtime's network and was ringside for Joshua's big win against Klitschko.
"Ultimately from the US perspective, the ultimate destination would seem to be - at some point in the next year - hopefully Joshua versus Wilder," said Espinoza said.
"The question really would be when to do it? When would be an appropriate time to let it build and to allow the marketing and visibility of the fight to continue to build? In terms of wanting the fight, I have no doubt that both Deontay and AJ want that fight to happen in the near future.
"I would say probably as a programmer and marketer, I probably want a couple of fights in the US to allow Anthony to get more acquainted, and more of a household name in the US market. But as a boxing fan, they are two young, strong guys in the prime of their career, and it's almost a foregone conclusion that they will fight, so why not do it right away."
