With a clinical unanimous points victory over Joseph Parker last month, Anthony Joshua added the WBO title to his WBA, IBO, and IBF belts.

He is now undefeated in 21 fights and desires a unification bout with fellow heavyweight slugger Deontay Wilder, who holds the WBC belt.

Reports have recently surfaced that Wilder’s team have countered Eddie Hearn’s £9 million initial offer with a huge £35 million guaranteed for the Hertfordshire-born fighter and a 50/50 split of the profits.

The offer stipulates that the unification clash must be held in the US, where AJ is yet to compete.

Former boxing ace Paulie Malignaggi is certainly not one for mincing his words, as he spoke out regarding the potential destination and opponent of AJ’s next bout.

“I think Joshua has a ton of popularity here in the UK, but if you wish to make the fight with Wilder as big as possible, Joshua has got to come to the US and gain a lot of recognition," he told the Express.

“He’s huge in the UK, but in the US, there’s a curiosity about him. Making a splash in the US would make his brand that much bigger.”

Malignaggi is of the opinion that Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller would be the ideal warm-up clash before AJ and Wilder face-off.

Miller currently sits on an undefeated record of 20 wins with one draw early in his career.

Of those 20 wins, 18 have been by knockout and, in the words of Malignaggi, the Brooklyn-born fighter hasn’t exactly had an easy introduction to the sport.

“Baby Miller doesn’t have any kind of fear. He comes from the old school in New York where you had to be tough to get through.

“He brings a ton of experience in that he’s done kickboxing and pro boxing. He has a calmness unlike a lot of fighters at that point in his career.”

Even though UK fans are wary of losing their heavyweight star to foreign shores, a bout held in either New York or Las Vegas would greatly inflate the global image, fame, and wealth of AJ.

Matchroom Boxing is currently analysing opponents that would be suitable should AJ travel to the US, and at the top of the list sits Miller or Philadelphia-born Bryant Jennings.

It will certainly be interesting to see what will unfold over the next few weeks.

Should AJ agree to fight Wilder in Vegas, then one can only assume that Hearn will be keen to book a preliminary opponent in New York, where AJ can settle his nerves and become attuned to excessive and sometimes exaggerated US media and crowds.