As far as Anthony Joshua is concerned, Joseph Parker is merely another stepping stone on his road to greatness.

The two heavyweights meet tonight in Cardiff but as always, much of the talk is already focused on who AJ will fight next.

If he wants to become undisputed champion, WBC belt-holder Deontay Wilder stands in his way.

Should he get his act together, there's also a certain Tyson Fury waiting in the wings.

Dillian Whyte is talking up his chances of a rematch after knocking out Lucas Browne - so, in short, there are a whole host of options for Eddie Hearn to consider, presuming Joshua is successful against Parker.

There's no question that Wilder is the man the fans want to see get in the ring with the British boxer.

Nevertheless, there are certain obligations that must be fulfilled and that could dictate whether or not such a meeting can happen in the next year.

For the main undercard of Joshua-Parker, David Price will take on Alexander Povetkin and the winner - which will almost certainly be the latter - is expected to be given a shot at Joshua.

Let's face it - Price is basically a sitting duck and nobody is giving him a prayer, including Hearn.

Hearn has already spoken to Povetkin's team

"Joshua will have to fight Povetkin at some point in 2018," Hearn told Sky Sports.

"Everything is about money. But we can generate a lot of money in the UK."

"They've made it clear [Povetkin's team] they would want to fight [in the UK]. The funding and backing that was initially there, isn't there anymore."

WBA president Gilberto Mendoza has backed up those comments by saying Povetkin "should be" next in line, per the same source.

Vadim Kornilov of World Boxing, who promote the veteran, added:

"It would be a huge fight in Russia. But after speaking to Eddie, it would be a huge fight [in the UK], too, because there is a big Russian community. Anywhere is a possibility.”

It might be stretching it to claim that this would be a fight fans do not want to see, but the 38-year-old isn't exactly popular.

A year ago, he failed a drugs test for using a heart medication which he said he had stopped consuming when it was banned in 2016. It robbed him of the chance to fight Wilder and a huge fine followed.

When Joshua has such enticing opponents on the cards, many would feel just a little disappointed if he were to take on the 38-year-old instead.

Would you be disappointed if Joshua fights Povetkin? Have your say in the comments.