EDDIE HEARN warned Anthony Joshua could fight Deontay Wilder for the WBC title if the belts become vacant.
Champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are lined up for a historic first ever four-belt heavyweight unification next year.
But the winner could then be faced with up to FOUR mandatory challengers, making it difficult to hang onto all of the marbles.
Wilder, 37, has been ordered into a WBC final eliminator with Andy Ruiz Jr, 33, meaning the winner is guaranteed a shot at Fury’s title.
So Joshua’s promoter Hearn is ready to get his man into position to then face the winner of the all-American showdown.
And by that time, the title could already be up for grabs if Fury, 34, or Usyk, 35, fail to keep up with their mandatories.
Hearn told Matchroom Boxing: “I think belts are going to become vacant over the next six-12 months. They always are when there’s an undisputed champion.
“So now it’s about positioning yourself, Dillian Whyte, AJ of course, into a shot at the world heavyweight title.
“AJ could be fighting the winner of Wilder – Ruiz for the WBC world heavyweight title, could be fighting Filip Hrgovic.
“Dillian Whyte could be fighting Joe Joyce for the WBO world title. There’s all kinds of eventualities.
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“But the pressure will come from the mandatories, that’s just natural when there’s a unified and in this case potentially undisputed champion.”
Joshua, 33, is taking time out of the sport following consecutive losses to Usyk.
And he could return to face the winner between Whyte, 34, and unbeaten Jermaine Franklin, 29, who fight next weekend.
Meanwhile Fury defends his title next in a trilogy bout against Derek Chisora, 38, the man he one-sidedly beat in 2011 and 2014.
It comes with Usyk ruling himself out next year for the undisputed decider, which is already in talks for March in Saudi Arabia.
Although a spanner was thrown into the works with the IBF primed to order the Ukrainian into a mandatory defence against Filip Hrgovic, 30.
Hearn said: “Obviously Usyk’s team and Fury’s team, particularly Usyk’s team will do everything they can to avoid Filip Hrgovic for now because they’d like to make the big fight with Tyson Fury.
“For us it’s difficult because obviously we have a job to do for Filip Hrgovic but we also know the Saudi team very well, who have been working very hard to the undisputed fight.
“So I’ve spoken to them, who obviously had their concerns and for boxing, that fight is very important.
“But also, Filip Hrgovic is mandatory so I’m sure there will be a resolution.
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“Now they’re talking about the chronological situation of perhaps the WBA mandatory as well, which I think is Daniel Dubois.
“This is just what happens when there’s unified and undisputed fights. But I’m sure that it will get worked out.”
