Former cruiserweight world champion, Johnny Nelson, believes that the blueprint to beat Deontay Wilder is clear and that Anthony Joshua is fully capable of claiming victory over the ‘Bronze Bomber’, but will need to show more belief in his own ability.
Joshua and Wilder seem to have been linked to a fight with one another for an eternity, but official talks really began back in 2018 for the pair to fight one another to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era.
A fight failed to materialise and the opportunity was missed. Since then, both men have lost their heavyweight titles, Joshua to Oleksandr Usyk and Wilder to Tyson Fury, but now it appears that the pair will finally meet in the ring.
In an interview with Boxing Social, Nelson explained that Fury revealed Wilder’s flaws and that ‘AJ’ would be able to exploit them in a similar fashion, providing he can regain some self-confidence before the showdown.
“Anthony Joshua has got the beating of him [Wilder], but the AJ that we have seen just needs to get his mojo back and that belief back.”
“Tyson Fury exposed his vulnerabilities, if you take it to Deontay Wilder and fully believe in what you can do, it took three fights from Tyson Fury to smash Deontay Wilder the way that he did. That should tell you everything. There is your blueprint for beating Wilder.”
“Guys need to look at that, ‘how do I beat Deontay Wilder? Do I try outbox him? Make him box off of the back foot?’, the Cuban [Luis Ortiz] did that and he got sparked when he switched off for a split-second.”
Negotiations continue between the heavyweight duo for a memorable spectacle in Saudi Arabia in early 2024, with a potential title shot looming for the winner.
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