Unified World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has admitted that is is looking past WBO mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin on September 22nd – with a view to securing an undisputed showdown with WBC kingpin Deontay Wilder.
Despite recently announcing a bout with the former WBA World heavyweight champion, Joshua is seemingly secure in his belief that he will “walk through” the 2004 Olympic gold medallist, and has once again voiced his desire to face Wilder in a clash for all of the belts at heavyweight.
“Me and Wilder is the best fight in the division right now, not me and Povetkin.”said Joshua in an interview with ESPN.
“The deal to fight Wilder is still on the table, if it was written off I’d be very annoyed.”
After months of protracted negotiations between the two camps, Joshua and Wilder have gone their separate ways – for now at least – with Wilder expecting to face compatriot Dominic Breazeale in his next outing. Joshua, however, remains hopeful that a deal can be struck for the two undefeated knockout artists to meet in the ring.
“We were working on the [Wilder] fight before I beat Carlos Takam, then it was Joseph Parker and it still hasn’t happened… and now it’s Povetkin.” Joshua continued.
“But I want the big one, I am looking past Povetkin now. I want the big guns.”
“I am going to walk through Povetkin and for Wilder the date and location is here.”
With the two camps at an impasse over a potential bout, Joshua appears to have grown tired of what he perceives to be stalling tactics from ‘The Bronze Bomber’, and would go on to state that the match-up has a finite timescale, due to Wilder’s forty-fight resume.
“For the past seven months I have found out what he wants in a contract, what he doesn’t want in a contract.”
“He [Wilder] has had 40 training camps, and even if you knock each opponent in a round you have still gone through hundreds of rounds in your camps, miles and miles on the clock with all the running and with the body wear and tear – he’s been a professional since 2009.” he finished.
Whether the two men will meet at some point in 2019 is anyone’s guess at this point. However, these recent comments from Joshua point to the fact that the London 2012 Olympic hero is unquestionably still interested in forcing a deal over the line.
With a deal in place for Joshua to fight at London’s Wembley Stadium on April 13th, boxing fans worldwide are hopeful that the man standing in the opposite corner will indeed be Deontay Wilder.
Though, at this point, it would seem that the bout is no closer to fruition than ever…