The boxing world may have to wait to see Anthony Joshua versus Deontay Wilder.

It’s the fight that everyone wants but the WBA are keen for Joshua to face Russian Alexander Povetkin, his mandatory challenger, next.

And Povetkin’s promoter believes AJ will fulfil his duties to meet with the 34-1 heavyweight before Wilder or anyone else.

"I think every fighter has to fight the best to prove that he is the best. I see no reason why Joshua would not want to fight Povetkin as his next opponent."

If Joshua is forced to take on Povetkin then he’ll do so without kicking up a fuss.

But it’s not the fight he wants next.

The fight AJ wants

Eddie Hearn has stressed that the 28-year-old wants the Wilder fight, with the promoter set to meet with the American’s co-managers Shelly Finkel and Al Haymon on Thursday to negotiate a deal.

“We’ve got our thoughts on how the deal should work,” Hearn told iFL TV.

“We’ll see how we get on. I can’t say it enough, that is a fight that we want next.

“Anthony Joshua has told me ‘I want Wilder next’, so we’ll do everything we can to make that happen and we have to move at pace because we’ve got Povetkin as well, the mandatory, and we have got a negotiation period on that.

“This fight shouldn’t be difficult to make in my opinion, judging by where they are in world boxing.

“If everyone can put egos aside, we can make the biggest fight in world boxing and that is what we hope to be able to do.”

Hearn is fully aware that Wilder’s representatives will be aggressive in their discussions.

But he plans to remind them that Joshua is the reigning IBF, WBA (Super), IBO and WBO heavyweight champion and has fought in front of 90,000 fans.

When they meet in New York on Thursday, it should be Hearn calling the shots, not the other way around.