Anthony Joshua Plans Wladimir Klitschko Fight, Will Snub David Haye

Newly crowned Commonwealth heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has his eyes set on a clash with world champion Wladimir Klitschko within a year, but he has no interest in fighting David Haye.  

The Englishman claimed his 14th knockout victory in 14 professional bouts on Saturday as he sealed a devastating first-round victory over Gary Cornish at the O2 Arena in London—none of his fights have gone past the third round.

He will now face Dillian Whyte for the British heavyweight title in December, and he is eyeing a shot at Klitschko following a mooted 16th professional fight against European champion Erkan Teper, per Nick Parkinson of the Daily Star:

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My ambition is a bit higher than Dillian Whyte. I'm going to deal with that boy and then I can achieve what I want to do. Teper is no different from guys I've fought so far. By the time that fight comes up I will be in a good place so it will not be too awkward to fight. Commonwealth, British, European and then world and then you have achieved what you set out to achieve. I can't predict if Dillian will be a longer fight. I couldn't really look past Gary Cornish but now, bring it on. You will probably hear a lot more from me.

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Since turning professional in 2013 following his 2012 super heavyweight gold medal at the London Olympics, no opponent has come close to troubling the 25-year-old Joshua.

Sports writer Francis Keogh put Joshua's last three fights—against Cornish, USA's Kevin Johnson and Brazil's Raphael Zumbano Love—into remarkable perspective following his latest triumph:

The Watford-born fighter is clearly due an upgrade in terms of the quality of his opponents.

Whyte could well become another humbled victim of Joshua's when the pair face off at the end of the year, per Laceupboxing:

But Germany's Teper would offer a genuine challenge and one that Joshua deserves following his complete destruction of all that have faced him thus far.

One fighter who is clearly not seen as a stepping stone to Klitschko is former WBA heavyweight champion Haye, who is planning a comeback. 

Per Parkinson, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has ruled out the possibility of facing Haye as he is not a necessary opponent on the path to the world title:

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David Haye talks about fighting but he wants the right payday to come back. I've had a couple conversations with David. He's a sharp guy and he knows the size of the fight with Anthony. It's one of the toughest fights out there for Anthony but we're looking at him winning world titles so he doesn't need to go through David Haye to get them.

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Klitschko is the target Hearn and Joshua are aiming at. The Ukrainian has dominated the heavyweight division since 2006 and faces Britain's Tyson Fury in his 68th professional fight next month.

The concern for Joshua is that the 39-year-old may retire before he gets a chance to face him. 

However, such a scenario is out of Joshua's hands, and he must simply focus on his next fight against Whyte as he looks to continue his rise to the top.