• Heavyweight

Joshua can beat anyone in Britain, says Hearn

Anthony Joshua stopped Konstantin Airich in the third round last month © Getty Images

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Promoter Eddie Hearn is happy to match Anthony Joshua against British rivals David Haye, Tyson Fury, Dereck Chisora and David Price next summer.

Hearn has been so impressed by Joshua's progress in the professional ranks since winning Olympic gold at London 2012 that he reckons he will be ready for a big fight next year.

Not one of Joshua's eight opponents as a professional has gone the distance - or made it to round four.

The Watford heavyweight, 24, faces Russian Denis Bakhtov at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday before a British title eliminator against Reading's Michael Sprott in Liverpool on November 22.

"Fights with Dereck Chisora, Tyson Fury and David Price he wins all of them, but they are risky fights that he doesn't need just yet," Hearn told ESPN. "All of those fights we want next summer and after November 22 the plan is to go for anyone in Britain.

"I would like to see him in with the Chisora-Fury winner and he will be 10-0 by then. If he's dealing with Bakhtov and Sprott inside two or three rounds, he's definitely ready for Chisora, Fury or Price next year.

"They are all big fights but Anthony Joshua is going to be the money in the heavyweight division.

"David Haye next summer might be a big fight as well if he's still fighting.

"I would be confident in those fights but you don't do it because you have to. Even if it means people are saying he's going too slow, we will do it that way but you can't really knock his progress so far.

"I believe Anthony will be world champion and all of those people will be in the way of him getting there."

Joshua has surpassed Hearn's expectations for his first year in the paid ranks and the British promoter believes he is ahead of the likes of Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson at this stage of his career.

"His first year as a professional has gone perfect - he will have had nine fights and he's missed out on a couple more through injury, so he's flying," Hearn said. "I didn't think we would ever get to this level in the first six or eight fights with Anthony.

"Fighting Matt Skelton, who has fought for a world title, in his seventh fight and now fighting Bakhtov in his ninth is well above our expectations of where we thought we would be.

"If you look at the heavyweight greats who have won Olympic gold medals and then world heavyweight titles like the Klitschko brothers and Lennox Lewis, as well as Mike Tyson, Anthony is streets ahead of them in development at this stage of his career."

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