Anthony Joshua has vowed that overcoming IBF champion Charles Martin on Saturday evening will be just the "first step" towards unifying the heavyweight division.

The 26-year-old takes on Martin aiming to become Britain's sixth heavyweight world champion in what will be his 16th professional bout.

Should bookmakers' favourite Joshua come out on top at London's O2 Arena, he then plans on stepping up his dominance on a wider scale in the years to come.

"[Beating Martin] is only the first step," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. "There would still be a few more belts to get my hands on. I love all the hype and attention but it brings a lot of pressure and gets the blood boiling.

"I've got to keep a lid on it. But on Saturday you will see what you always see: 'AJ' coming to war. If I'm not ready after 12 weeks in training, there's nobody to blame but myself."

Martin will defend his title for the first time this weekend after beating Vyacheslav Glazkov earlier this year.