2018 is going to be a huge year for Anthony Joshua, as it could finally be the year which he is internationally recognized as one of the greatest heavyweights of all-time. For that to happen, he needs to win the next three fights he has.

AJ has indicated his plan to unify all the title belts at 200 pounds plus, which begins when he faces Joseph Parker on March 31 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Joshua will have his WBA (Super), IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles on the line, while Parker will have his WBO heavyweight title on the line.

Joshua vs Parker should be a very exciting fight, but this is only the beginning as it is the first of three potential fights which the British boxer could have this year in the heavyweight division.

If Joshua wants to unify all the titles, he will have to face Alexander Povetkin later this summer for the WBA, IBF, IBO, and WBO titles. This fight will only happen if both Joshua and Povetkin are victorious in their next fights. Joshua fights Parker next, while Povetkin will be fighting on the undercard that night as well.

After the Russian, Joshua is looking to end the year by having a huge five-belt match-up with Deontay Wilder in the boxing capital of Las Vegas for the WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO, and WBO titles. This is the plan which his promoter, Eddie Hearn, has outlined for his unified world heavyweight champion.

Hearn told Sky Sports, via World Boxing News: "The Wilder fight could be in America. We want to fight Wilder before the end of the year.

“Our plan is box three times this year - end of August or early September, then December. We've got a base in America already. We'd rather the fight was in the UK but we're not bothered if it has to be in America. No problem."

Hearn admitted it won’t be an easy fight to get over the line, but he's looking forward to making the fight happen later in 2018.

“(It’s) more difficult, because if you go to the negotiating table with three belts instead of one, then you want an increase in the pie. Wilder is in a real fight against (Luis) Ortiz (on March 3rd), and victory would give him more value than he has at the moment.

“We have to give respect to Wilder because he's having a proper fight. I believe he will beat Ortiz. It depends how he wins. If he comes through a war, those fights can take a lot out of you. If he wins impressively, he sends out a good statement. Everyone is going in the right direction."

So in 2018, Joshua will face Joseph Parker in March, before facing Alexander Povetkin in the summer, and then finally having a megafight against Deontay Wilder at the end of the year. If he wins all these fights, it will be hard not to say he's one of the greatest heavyweights of all-time.