Anthony Joshua recently agreed to a massive $10 million contract
Report: ‘Various’ Issues Prevent Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua from Fighting Together
According to a report on ESPN’s Mike Coppinger on Wednesday, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder have decided to square off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 9.
However, boxing journalist Dan Rafael denied the claim on Thursday, stating that although the two parties were preparing for a fight on March 9, no agreement had been made as of yet:
several unresolved matters, such as the conditions of Saudi Arabia’s automatic second fight. Shelly Finkel, manager of Wilder: “There’s no arrangement at this time.”
Of course, a matchup between Joshua and Otto Wallin and Wilder and Joseph Parker on December 23 in Saudi Arabia is probably dependent on the outcome of both fights.
Coppinger was informed by promoter Eddie Hearn that the reason the two were fighting on the same night was to set up a potential match between the stars:
“The fight between the two is taking place on the same night in order to create and prepare for a fight between the two. Thus, negotiations continue without a written contract. However, everyone wants to start that altercation.”… “Well, why are you fighting a tough bout before Wilder?” is a common question. That was the battle that Saudi suggested we engage in. Joshua has never declined a fight. We’ve had Wallin on our roster for the previous two bouts. The fact that he is a southpaw is the sole reason we haven’t boxed him. It is therefore not ideal to fight a southpaw with six weeks’ notice and a new trainer, but the Saudis enjoy the match. They enjoy the combat. Let’s cross our fingers.”
After losing the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight belts to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021, 34-year-old Joshua is 26-3 overall in his career. He’s rebounded from two straight losses to Usyk with wins over Robert Helenius and Jermaine Franklin.
The 38-year-old Wilder, 42-3-1 overall, lost the WBC heavyweight title to Tyson Fury after ten successful defenses. After suffering two consecutive defeats to Fury, he bounced back to overcome Helenius in October of 2022.
When Fury and Usyk face battle on February 17, it looks to be one of the biggest heavyweight bouts in recent memory. However, a Joshua-Wilder bout wouldn’t be out of the question.
Wallin, who has his sights set firmly on overcoming Joshua, isn’t so sure the fight will ever take place.
“It’s much better for me if he is ignoring me,” he said to Coppinger. “And I think it’s a terrific thing if it’s true that they have the fight with Wilder made. It is imperative that he looks nice during his fight; else, he will become frustrated.”
