The warrior in Anthony Joshua is focused on one thing on Saturday night: defeating unbeaten challenger Dominic Breazeale to retain his International Boxing Federation heavyweight belt at the O2 Arena in London. But given his growing reach and mainstream appeal, behind the scenes the 26-year-old's promotional team are already mapping out a route towards unifying the heavyweight titles over the next two years, in what could be five to six fights.
Two of those could be title bouts, two money-spinners, and two of those learning fights. The key will be the match-making. The order and timing of those contests - against the likes of heavyweight No?1 Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Wladimir Klitschko, David Haye and IBF mandatory challenger Joe Parker, of New Zealand - will dictate whether the Londoner's inexorable rise and popularity continue. He has been earmarked as a potential saviour for boxing's heavyweight division, breathing new life into what was an interest-deficient weight class until Fury consigned Wladimir Klitschko's reign to dust seven months ago.
Right now, Joshua has the perfect resumé: London 2012 Olympic super-heavyweight gold and, after 16 professional victories, all by knockout, a world title. "I want to be Britain's new 'Golden Boy'," said Joshua this week. The bottom line, though, is that it must be backed up in the ring. So far, Joshua has done just that in a business, and division, in which one mistake can destroy a career.
Fury, holder of the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organisation and The Ring Magazine titles, is the legitimate divisional No?1 and regards Joshua as a 'paper' champion. Yet it is Joshua who holds the popular vote. The pressing debate for a young man who is still a work-in-progress is whether he can learn quickly enough on the job, and keep the winning column running. Can Joshua be the first man to unify boxing's blue-riband division since Lennox Lewis in 2003? Or has it all come too quickly for a neophyte champion who admits that he is "a work in progress as a boxer"?
It will come down to match-making, former world cruiserweight champion Glenn McCrory, who sparred 96 rounds with Mike Tyson when he was just emerging as the youngest heavyweight champion in history, said yesterday. "One hundred per cent Joshua can unify the heavyweight division, but he will have to be matched with the right people at the right time for the next 12 months. He has to get through Breazeale first, and he will be a bigger test than Charles Martin [from whom Joshua won the IBF crown 10 weeks ago]. Breazeale hasn't seemed phased this week in London. But I haven't been as excited as this about a heavyweight since Lennox Lewis or Mike Tyson.
