Anthony Joshua, has taken his fair share of criticism in recent years, but one things he feels he can’t be tormented or lectured on is his willingness to fight the best heavyweights in the sport, despite not fighting Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder as of yet.
‘AJ’ has been linked to a showdown with Wilder for almost a decade now and it seemed fans had finally gotten their wish when the pair fought on the same card back in December, poised to announce their clash if both came through their respective contests with wins.
However, there was a major issue, as Wilder was whitewashed by Joseph Parker, an opponent previously defeated by Joshua, putting an end to the seemingly irremovable hype for a fight between the transatlantic rivals.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Joshua explained that to him at least, the Wilder fight is not yet dead in the water, before defending his résumé and claiming that the reason that contests with Wilder and Fury have not manufactured is through no fault of his own.
“I’m not saying it’s completely written off.”
“It’s a fight where everything was signed and sealed. It just needed both of us to deliver. And he didn’t meet his end of the bargain.
“You know what it proved to me, I’ve signed to fight Fury, I’ve signed to fight Wilder, I’ve signed to fight a lot of people. I just do good business. I’m a good prizefighter, I don’t duck a challenge.
Two-time heavyweight champion Joshua may well get his mammoth British affair against Fury, after it was revealed that the winner of Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou will challenge for the unified world titles against the victor of Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, likely in early 2025.
However, Joshua must first defeat Ngannou on Friday March 8th, as they top a high-profile bill that is available for purchase on both DAZN PPV and Sky Sports Box Office.