Wednesday 16 March 2016 16:18, UK
Lucas Browne and Luis Ortiz recorded impressive victories at the weekend - but does that make them more or less likely to face Anthony Joshua?
Along with WBA 'Super' and WBO champion Tyson Fury and WBC king Deontay Wilder, Joshua is arguably one of the hottest tickets in world boxing having sold out The O2 for December's British and Commowealth victory over Dillian Whyte live on Sky Sports Box Office.
The Londoner returns to the same venue on April 9 for another pay-per-view blockbuster when he attempts to relieve Charles Martin of the IBF belt in just his 16th professional fight. Joshua will hear the first bell as a clear bookmakers' favourite and there are already countless heavyweights hoping to earn themselves a hefty pay-day by challenging him if and when he's crowned a world champion.
Speculation as to who Joshua could face in prospective world title defences is no disrespect to Martin (23-0-1-KO21), who is fancied by some - including Team Fury - to silence the Olympic champion in front of his adoring public. That being said, even division kingpin Fury admits the scale of a showdown with Joshua is tempting.
Wilder continues to bang his drum in the States and his outbursts suggest he's eagerly awaiting the day he has a choice between Fury and Joshua as unification opponents. But, with Fury and Wilder already leading the scene, let's assess some of Joshua's other potential suitors for later in the year.
Browne upset Ruslan Chagaev on March 6 to lay his hands on the WBA crown and become Australia's first world heavyweight champion, so if Joshua seizes the IBF strap, a clash between the pair would see one of them join Fury as a two-belt world champion. Of course, Fury would argue that he is the WBA's real champion (and since he's Super champion, it's a legitimate claim), but the very existence of that hierarchy is a whole other can of worms.
On the surface, Joshua v Browne would seem like old sporting rivals England and Australia simply pitting their best warriors against each other - but the allegiances are not so clean-cut because Browne has ties to two legends of British boxing; he's promoted by Ricky Hatton and trains alongside Nigel Benn. Both have already mentioned Joshua as a target...
The renaissance of David Haye is in its infancy but regardless of anyone's misgivings over the quality of his comeback opponent, Mark de Mori, it was hard not to be taken by the sharpness and timing Haye displayed in stopping him inside a round. He'd been talking about facing Joshua even before that bout was announced and promoter Eddie Hearn has already dubbed a meeting 'inevitable.'
At the age of 35 and significantly heavier than he was when WBA world champion, Haye is making all the right noises and against a higher-quality opponent in his next fight on May 21, more will be revealed. With such speed, coupled with power that belies his former cruiserweight status, Haye would be a dangerous if highly-lucrative move for Joshua.
The giant Cuban may be the most avoided fighter in boxing's marquee division but while he continues to blast opponents aside with the ease he dispatched Tony Thompson, it's only a matter of time before he forces a chance to prove himself against one of the top names. A southpaw with a destructive left hand, Ortiz must be in some heavyweights' nightmares.
Trainer Peter Fury ranked Ortiz as the fourth best heavyweight in the world earlier in the year and stated: "I think all the Americans will struggle with him and maybe even avoid him." One man who may be unable to dodge him is Browne, as Ortiz will presumably be determined to elevate himself from WBA interim champion to WBA champion and... whoops. That can of worms is open again.
Another unbeaten fighter who is keen to break into the big-money bouts and sees fighting Joshua as a ticket to stardom, Parker is the fighting pride of New Zealand. Like former world title challenger David Tua, Parker hails from Auckland. After Browne's coronation, Kiwis will be desperate to celebrate a world heavyweight champion of their own sooner rather than later.
Parker and his team have already been vocal in their desire to take on Joshua and Sky Sports pundit Glenn McCrory said of him: "As soon as I watched a clip of him training, I honestly thought I was watching a middleweight. Boy, does he punch fast!" Currently without the same exposure as some of the other possibles, Parker is looking to become the IBF's mandatory challenger when he takes on Carlos Takam.
Another outsider climbing the ladder slowly but surely. At the age of just 21, Tyson Fury's cousin has racked up more victories than Joshua and remains unbeaten. On March 26, Hughie takes on the experienced Nagy Aguilera at Wembley Arena looking to further enhance his world title credentials.
Under the expert guidance of his father, Peter, big things are expected. Tyson has already ruled out ever clashing with his cousin and seeing as Team Fury have already had preliminary (but postponed) talks with Joshua's promoter Hearn over a possible clash, that may be where he trains his sights. Some question the quality of Hughie's opponents to date, but they might be the very same people who doubted his cousin...
Anthony Joshua fights Charles Martin for the IBF world heavyweight title live on Sky Sports Box Office on April 9.
