Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder look set to finally take their transatlantic rivalry inside the ropes this year, and fellow heavyweight contender, Joe Joyce, has made his prediction.
Joshua and Wilder could have once fought for all four belts in the division, but ended up losing to Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury respectively.
Despite the lack of titles now on the line, there’s no doubt that the match-up remains one of the most intriguing and explosive in the sport.
Whilst ‘AJ’ is no slouch in the power department, Wilder is known as one of the hardest hitters to ever lace up the gloves, and a main focus of the analysis pre-fight is what will happen when he lands on the Brit.
Asked by BT Sport Boxing if Wilder beats ‘AJ’, Joyce said he believes he does – although did illustrate that it would be a close affair.
“Yeah, I think he does because he just has to detonate one of them right hands and it’s all over if he can land it. But then again, Joshua’s got some boxing ability and still can hit, if he’s on form.”
He went on to predict the outcome of the proposed heavyweight tournament that would see the four top dogs face off.
“I see it like either Usyk or Fury at the top, then Wilder third place, Joshua fourth. But you never know. It only takes one punch in heavyweight boxing.”
Fans should be able to see their predictions play out in December. By all accounts, Joshua and Wilder are just days away for signing the contract to face off.
As for Joyce, he’s set to rematch Zhilei Zhang after a loss in April that derailed his world title hopes. Their second fight is touted for September.