Saudis Still Want Joshua Vs. Wilder

Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder could still take place with the Saudis targeting this fight.
The fight was first mentioned around 2018, when it would have been for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. Joshua held three of the heavyweight titles, while Wilder held the WBC belt. Reports indicated that Wilder’s team made a $50 million offer, but negotiations broke down as the two boxers went their separate ways. Joshua would lose his titles to Oleksandr Usyk, while Wilder lost his WBC belt to Tyson Fury.
Boxing fans never saw the undisputed fight. There was also an opportunity to see Joshua vs. Wilder again after reports they had signed a two-fight deal. This was contingent upon them winning their next fights. Joshua stopped Otto Wallin in dramatic circumstances, making him quit on the stool. However, Wilder lost to Joseph Parker in a one-sided unanimous decision. There was a perception that boxing fans missed the opportunity to see that fight.
Joshua Vs. Wilder
Wilder also lost to Zhilei Zhang, while Joshua got knocked out by Daniel Dubois, suggesting that the demand for the fight had gone. But Tyson Fury’s decision to retire after his two Usyk losses has now changed that. The biggest fight available was Joshua against Fury. But the Fury retirement means that Wilder could get a second chance. It is still a fight between two boxers who are capable of finishing each other inside the distance. While they may not be at their peak, it is still a fight that could deliver a highlight reel knockout. And the Saudis are still determined to deliver on that fight.
“I want to see Joshua and Wilder now. If Tyson is not available, why not Joshua and Wilder? We finished the fight between Bakole and the Nigerian fighter, Ajagba. After that, we want to see Joshua against Bakole. Me, I want to see this fight. Do you know where I want to see it? I want to see it in Africa,” Turki Alalshikh
Will It Happen?
But that all depends on whether Wilder still has something left. He is set to have his first fight since the Zhang loss in April. He takes on Curtis Harper on BLK prime. Wilder has only secured one victory in four fights since working with Malik Scott. Scott has been heavily criticized for trying to change Wilder from an athletic knockout artist to a boxer. But facing a journeyman gives him an opportunity to regain some confidence in the hope of securing a Joshua fight. Joshua is expected to fight in the summer, meaning that there is enough of a turnaround time to make that fight. Wilder still wants AJ.
“Deontay would fight AJ anywhere. He went to Russia to fight Povetkin and he’ll fight anyone anywhere in the world. He’s a world fighter, not a fighter that just fights at home. I also believe Deontay wants the Tyson Fury fight before he retires, Fury is definitely on his hit list and he is very open to it,” Scott stated
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