Joshua Vs. Wilder Is A Two-Fight Deal
Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder have reportedly agreed to face each other for two fights, the first of which is on March 9th, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The fight has been talked about since 2018, when both boxers were world champions. Joshua had the WBA, WBO and IBF belts, while Wilder held the WBC belt. Therefore, the undisputed fight could have been made. Wilder’s team had offered Joshua $50 million to make the fight. But Joshua had to accept the offer first before a contract was sent.
Those terms were not favourable, as Eddie Hearn would outline, as the contract never got sent. Joshua and Wilder would lose their world titles to Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, respectively, which prevented one of the biggest fights in boxing. Now, both fighters are a step away from getting the fight on. Joshua faces Otto Wallin on December 23rd, 2023, and Wilder faces Joseph Parker on the same card in Saudi. The fight will likely happen if the two come through with wins.
Joshua Vs. Wilder
Wilder is the slight favorite coming into the fight since Joshua has not looked the same since his loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. The Brit abandoned his come-forward style in favor of boxing behind his jab and a reluctance to throw. Several trainers also followed, such as Robert Garcia, Derrick James, and now Ben Davidson.
Meanwhile, Wilder has recovered from the losses to Fury by knocking out Robert Helenius in the first round. Unlike Joshua, however, he has been inactive. AJ has fought two times this year with wins over Jermaine Franklin and Helenius. At the same time, Wilder’s win over Helenius was over a year ago. But the Bronze Bomber has questioned Joshua’s mentality.
Wilder On Joshua
“I’ve always thought Joshua was mentally weak, this has not just started. If you go back to my previous interviews and hear me talk about Joshua, I’ve always thought he had a very weak mentality…especially when it comes to fighting me. It’s no secret — I mean a lot of things have already come out with World Boxing News about why that fight didn’t happen, when he asked for $50M why that didn’t happen…He had a lot of lessons to be presented to him so hopefully he has grasped all those lessons and laid them all out on the table,” Wilder said
Victory for both men is vital for their world title aspirations. Joshua has spoken about his desire to become a three-time world champion. Meanwhile, Wilder still has ambitions to become undisputed. The winner of Fury and Oleksandr Usyk may vacate those belts, putting Wilder or AJ in a good position to fight for them.
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