Wilder Desperate To Face Joshua – ‘The Fight Can Still Go On’

December 28, 2023
1 year
Wilder Desperate To Face Joshua - 'The Fight Can Still Go On'

Deontay Wilder is desperate to face Anthony Joshua despite his loss to Joseph Parker.

Wilder came up short on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in a massive upset as Parker won a wide unanimous decision. The defeat has thrown the Joshua fight into doubt as reports of a two-fight deal were confirmed by Eddie Hearn. The first fight was scheduled for March 9, 2024, provided both boxers won their fights.

Joshua came through with a stoppage win over Otto Wallin after five rounds, but Wilder’s defeat has meant Joshua’s focus is on Filip Hrgovic. The Croatian is the current IBF heavyweight interim champion. He will likely face Joshua for the full title after Tyson Fury faces Oleksandr Usyk.

The winner must defend their IBF belt against Hrgovic, but a rematch clause means they will be stripped if they fail to defend it against the Croatian. That puts Joshua in a prime position to fight for the world title since he is the next-highest-ranked contender. That puts Wilder down the pecking order, but the American was still desperate to fight Joshua.

Wilder On Joshua

“They really don’t want that fight. They really don’t want that fight, and when I lost, you saw how happy he was coming out. I laughed… [It was like] Christmas was today [for them]. You seen that s**t? I ain’t lying, he ought to thank me boy. [And] I ain’t lying, I saw it in the back, I bust out laughing.

“I said that ‘That [he is] happy as f**k’… Boy, I made him, I made him be able to perform like that. ‘I ain’t got to fight Wilder?’ The rumor was he was talking about retiring if I won…Like I said, March 9th, the fight can still go on. We can still fight because they already said [it would happen] win, lose, or draw. [But] this is a perfect fight way for them to get out,” Wilder said

Wilder’s Next Steps

Wilder has to regroup. At 38, the American does not have much time left in the sport. The Bronze Bomber’s focus should be on setting the Parker defeat right, but if he cannot do that, he must secure a win over the other top heavyweights to get himself into the conversation for a Joshua fight.

Fights against Zhilei Zhang or Jared Anderson are some names he could face. Those are big risks, but a victory again puts Wilder at the top of the division. A fight with Joshua no longer sells as it would have done. They had first been linked with an undisputed fight in 2018.

Reports of a $50 million offer emerged from Wilder’s camp. But the failure to issue a contract meant it never got made. There were also reports that Wilder was offered over $100 million in 2019 to fight Joshua on DAZN. Once again, the fight never materialized. Unfortunately, this is one fight boxing fans may never get to see.

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