It's been a strange few days for British heavyweight boxing sensation, Anthony Joshua.

The 2012 Olympic gold medalist was all set to take on Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev in Cardiff on October 28, the next big step in his young career, but sadly, his opponent had to pull out.

Pulev picked up a nasty injury and he has now been replaced by Frenchman, Carlos Takam.

Joshua is expected to win with ease, with some bookies placing his odds for victory as low as 1/50.

To be fair, a man with 19 consecutive knockout victories coming up against a challenger with three defeats in 39 bouts pretty much warrants those short odds.

Much of the focus on Joshua now is what will happen in 2018, with a number of massive fights potentially available to him.

POTENTIAL 2018 FIGHTS

Should David Haye emerge triumphant from his rematch with Tony Bellew, the 'Hayemaker' could be a superstar opponent for him, in what would potentially be the biggest fight in British history.

Then, there is the potential unification fight with American champion Deontay Wilder and he has actually called on Joshua to travel to the States in order to further enhance his reputation.

And now, there are rumours that another mega-fight could be in the making, with Joshua stating that he is prepared to fight Tyson Fury.

Speaking on talkSPORT, he confirmed that he wants to fight him in 2018 and he also made a very classy gesture towards his fellow professional.

"I’ve managed to contact him - he’s managed to contact me and everything you probably see on social is the same thing that happens behind the scenes," Joshua said.

JOSHUA'S CLASSY GESTURE

"Besides all that (fighting him), if there’s anything I can do to help support and help him get back in ring, I would do because we need people like him it brings out the best in the sport, it brings eyes to the sport and it benefits everyone," he said.

"I’m looking forward to him getting back and adding a bit more dust to the storm because he’s talented he’s a good fighter."

Joshua clearly has a soft spot for Fury, who defeated Wladimir Klitschko in his previous fight in Dusseldorf.

Joshua managed the same feat at Wembley but, as many have pointed out, Fury did not get hurt by the Ukrainian.

Should the two collide, it would bring the whole boxing world to a stand still and most would struggle to pick a favourite.