But there is decidedly less chatter about what happens to Joshua if Usyk wins. The Ukrainian holds the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO belts that previously belonged to Joshua after defeating his fellow 2012 Olympic gold medallist nearly three years ago. Usyk and Joshua fought again in August 2022, with "AJ" faring better but still losing by split decision.

The prospect of a trilogy fight between the men looms, but Usyk's promoter, Alex Krassyuk, expressed doubts about such a bout ever coming to fruition.

“I am not sure AJ wants the third one deep in his heart. It seems to be dangerous,” Krassyuk told World Boxing News. “It might look like a gambling addiction to many.

“After you’ve lost money on roulette, you come back full of confidence. You bet twice or three times more than you’ve lost, expecting your bet to win. But in the end, you realize that you have lost everything.”

Another factor working against a third Usyk-Joshua showdown is the issue of each organisation's mandatory challengers. Krassyuk explained that another fighter could be ahead of Joshua despite Sulaiman's recent statement.

“One more thing that makes their third fight less probable is the sequence of the mandatories," he said. "As we all know, the next stop of the carousel is IBF, not the WBC.”

The IBF lists Filip Hrgovic as the No. 1 contender for their title, ahead of Joshua, and they could order Usyk to face the Croatian next. Additionally, Joseph Parker is the WBO interim champion and would also look to get a shot at the undisputed crown should Usyk prevail against Fury on May 18.

Live on DAZN: Watch Dalton Smith vs. Jose Zepeda on March 23