Former unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua is confident that a fight with long-term rival, Deontay Wilder, will happen in the near future, despite a history of talks breaking down between the two titans when they both held belts.
It’s been a difficult eighteen months for ‘AJ’, suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time in his career (as an amateur or professional) and losing his heavyweight titles. However, that hasn’t stopped the Watford-born superstar from being linked with huge fights, with the 33-year-old now being rumoured for a rematch with his old enemy Dillian Whyte next year.
Joshua has another rival though – one who he hasn’t already beaten – in the form of hard-hitting American, Deontay Wilder. The potential fight between Joshua and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has been described as the biggest fight in the division by promoter Eddie Hearn and, after Wilder’s recent comeback, Joshua told Behind The Gloves that the fight will finally happen.
“I think now, he is on a resurgence. I think he is realising that he has got three years left, so he wants to kind of tick off his hit list. Yeah, it will happen now, he’s more than ready now. Why not [fight him in 2023]?”
Wilder is rumoured to fight Andy Ruiz Jr in a final eliminator for his old WBC title, the only belt that Joshua has not held. In an ideal world for ‘AJ’, this could mean that he fights Wilder for his position as a mandatory challenger or even for the belt should things unfold that way.
Belts on the line or not, Joshua – Wilder would be a mammoth fight with fans across the world tuning in as both men search for a route back to the top of the heavyweight pile.
