Joe Joyce has said he expects Anthony Joshua to 'knock out' Oleksandr Usyk when they meet on September 25 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Usyk, who has 18 wins and no defeats, became the undisputed cruiserweight champion by outpointing Murat Gassiev in July 2018, comfortably outclassing the Russian over twelve rounds of boxing, before retiring Tony Bellew in November that same year.
The Ukrainian-born southpaw, who is also a long-time training partner of former unified lightweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko, is widely considered to be one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world.
But Joyce, who himself lost on points to the Olympic champion in March 2013, believes 'AJ' will be able to withstand anything the Ukrainian throws at him.
He told BoxingScene: “I will happily take on whoever wins, but I would love the opportunity to fight Joshua.
“I think he will want to fight Fury so we will have to see what happens there, but I am on the WBO track and looking to be made mandatory.
“I think Usyk could be a tricky fight for Joshua, but he should knock him out sooner or later you would think.
"It is heavyweight boxing, so you never know, but Usyk is no joke. He is an Olympic gold medallist, a very skilled southpaw, so he will probably pose Joshua problems with his good footwork and ringcraft.
“I do think Joshua will get to him, sooner or later.”
Joyce himself stated he is hoping to secure title fights with both Joshua and Usyk in the coming months.
He went on to add that he doesn't think that an aging Carlos Takam will affect those future plans.
“Yeah and that is why I chose Takam as a good move for me,” said Joyce. “It is all about getting the right fights and I think this is one to get people talking.
"It will keep me ready too for when I get my turn to fight for the world title.
“He is a respected opponent who has been in with the best, like Joshua and also Chisora, who has been mentioned to fight me but I don’t think he wants it. It is going to be a great fight.”
Asked how he envisions the contest playing out, "The Juggernaut" only sees one possible outcome.
He added: “Maybe you will see a bit of both, depending on which Takam turns up, although I think I know what kind of style he will have.
“Whatever works to get me the win is what you will see. It is going to be a tough test and a real hard fight, also good stylistically to watch, so tune in!”