Joshua in talks for Wallin bout ahead of potential Fury showdown

Anthony Joshua's camp are in discussions regarding a bout against Otto Wallin, the Swedish fighter's promoter has said.

Joshua seen his stock in the heavyweight division take a significant dip following back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk, leaving the Brit with only two wins from his past five bouts.

However, Joshua continues to be linked with top-tier opponents, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder among them, but taking on Wallin is set to be his next challenge.

Dmitriy Salita, who represents Wallin, believes the correct approach would be for Joshua to face his client, with the winner then going on to face either Fury - who is expected to meet in Usyk in an undisputed fight.

"I had discussions with Eddie [Hearn] about Otto for a significant amount of time and as late as last week," he told the Sun.

"From what I understand it's really up to AJ. I believe he wants to place himself back in the heavyweight picture.

"Both Otto and AJ want a shot at Fury. By the numbers Otto landed more punches on Fury then anyone else ever.

"I believe the winner of that fight will have legitimate claim to challenge Fury probably after his fight with Oleksandr Usyk."

A bout with Dillian Whyte has been touted as the next test for Joshua but that proposal has been slammed by Salita.

Salita would instead prefer the Brit to face a rematch with Jermaine Franklin after a majority decision for Whyte at Wembley last month.

"Whyte is 1-2 and in reality 1-3 in his last four fights. A fight with Joshua would be something like Roy Jones vs Mike Tyson or Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor, big names but not much behind it at this point," he added.

"Even if it's not against Jermaine, Whyte needs an impressive showing against someone credible to show that he still got the skills to pay the bills at an elite heavyweight level.

"He had four wins after that including Dominic Breazeale and Travis Kauffman, both credible at time of his victory. Otto is number three in the WBO and is a bona fide top heavyweight in the world.

"There have been lots of big names thrown around with Joshua including Tyson and Wilder. How serious that is will depend on who he fights next."