By Duncan Johnstone

Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn says Joseph Parker is now the favoured option for November's world heavyweight title fight in Manchester.

Hearn has been struggling to tie down Bulgaria's Kubrat Pulev as his preferred opponent and appears likely to enforce the mandatory challenge owned by Parker for the November 26 fight.

Hearn is set to announce Joshua's opponent on Monday night (NZ time) but gave a sneak preview to his current thinking in an interview with iFLTV.

"There's a few things that have got to get done. But I think it's a great fight and why not do it now?" Hearn told iFLTV.

Hearn's ideal plans had been to have Parker fight on the undercard as a way of introducing the unbeaten Kiwi to the UK market with a proposed fight against Britain's David Price.

When asked if that was his hope, Hearn said: "I do, but when no one else will fight him ... AJ ...

"Pulev was offered ridiculous money and Parker seems to be the one that says, ' Yeah, I'll do it, I'm ready to go now'.

"He's got big balls, Joseph Parker, and he's very dangerous. He's very fast, he can punch, he's undefeated. It's a tough fight for AJ ... he's ready to go now."

Parker and his handlers have been preparing for this eventuality and have made it clear they won't shy away from the mandatory challenge if it is called.

But it would place added risk in Parker's next bout against Russian Alexander Dimitrenko which is scheduled for Manukau on October 1.

Parker's handlers Duco Events have already been scouting the British scene in terms of accommodation and medical facilities in preparation for what they hoped might be an extended stay in the lucrative market that also has Tyson Fury as the owner of the WBA, WBO and IBO belts.

Joshua has only just gone into camp for the November fight.

Duco Events boss Dean Lonergan said they were ready for a world title shot in November if Parker's mandatory challenge was enforced by Hearn.

He confirmed they had been in discussions with Hearn about the November 26 promotion but described those as "fluid".

"We have been looking at Dimitrenko, then moving into Price and on to Joshua in March. But, if Joshua wants to take us early, we are up for it. We have said that all along and that hasn't changed."

He said there was no thoughts of cancelling the Dimitrenko fight because of the added risks involved if the world title fight was called.

In his mind that just increased the importance of using the fight to prepare for Joshua, and the need for victory to maintain that mandatory position.