Anthony Joshua expects to face Tyson Fury in 2016, whether his British rival wins or loses against Wladimir Klitschko on Saturday.
Joshua (14-0, 14 KOs), 26, disputes the British heavyweight title with Dillian Whyte (16-0, 13 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London on December 12 and says Fury will afterwards be on his radar of possible opponents.
By the time 2012 Olympic gold medallist faces Jamaica-born Brixton-based Whyte, Fury hopes to be IBF-WBA-WBO world heavyweight champion.
Fury, 27, challenges Wladimir Klitschko for his belts in Dusseldorf on Saturday but Joshua fancies the long-reigning champion to prevail.
Klitschko, 39, makes a 19th consecutive title defence against Manchester's unbeaten Fury and the Ukrainian's second reign as world champion - nine years and six months - is the second longest by a world heavyweight champion after Joe Louis (11 years 8 months).
"Fury has a great chance but Klitschko is ten years a champion and has X-amount of experience before that so you can't look beyond that," Joshua, who has sparred with Klitschko, told ESPN.
"I think Klitschko will win, by stoppage potentially, but Tyson definitely has a chance.
"One hundred per cent I think me and Tyson could fight next year. People demand what they want to see and they are always coming up to me and asking when am I going to fight Fury.
"So it has to happen and of course he's better than Dillian Whyte, more experienced."
Another big potential all-British showdown for Watford's unbeaten Joshua if he beats Whyte would be against former WBA world champion David Haye (26-2, 24 KOs).
Londoner Haye is due to reveal his comeback opponent November 23 after last boxing in July 2012. Haye, 35, is coming out of retirement after a shoulder injury forced him to pull out of fighting Fury in 2013 and has been working with trainer Shane McGuigan.
Haye was the last Briton to fight Klitschko, who widely out-pointed the Londoner in 2011.
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