Oleksandr Usyk will step up to heavyweight and be "looking for the heart of the king" by fighting Anthony Joshua, according to his team.
Unbeaten Usyk (15-0) is considered one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world and added the IBF and WBA cruiserweight titles to his WBC and WBO belts by defeating Murat Gassiev by unanimous decision in Moscow in July.
Earlier this month, the 31-year-old added to the Matchroom stable that IBF, WBA, IBO and WBO heavyweight champion Joshua (21-0) is a part of, and a bout with the Briton his ultimate goal.
"Once he starts his journey in the elite division he would be looking for the heart of the king, and Joshua is the king at heavyweight right now," said Alexander Krassyuk of K2 promotions, who work alongside Matchroom for Usyk.
"So I can anticipate that Usyk versus Joshua could be something really, really extraordinary in modern boxing."
On Usyk's heavyweight debut, Krassyuk added: "We will make our best to make it happen by the end of next year."
First up, though, Usyk is expected to take on another Matchroom fighter in former WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew, on November 10.
"Bellew is not a kid to get knocked out easily. We should not step too far ahead. But if Usyk wins, he will definitely move to heavyweight," Krassyuk said.
Bellew believes Usyk is too small to be a threat to Joshua.
“I don’t think he has the size,” Bellew said in an interview with iFL TV.
“He maybe has the style, I don’t think he has the size. I think Ant is improving every time he gets in the ring. I really think he is slowly and surely turning into the finished article. He’s not the finished article just yet, but every time you watch him you can see him learning from every fight.
“Usyk wanted this fight to be at heavyweight. He’s just another man who wants to get at King AJ by going through the fat boy. It’s just not going to happen the way he thinks.”
