Anthony Joshua has officially confirmed that he plans to take on Deontay Wilder in December, in what promises to be a highly anticipated heavyweight clash. After much speculation, Joshua confirmed that he and his team are “throwing it down” against Wilder, in what looks to be the fight of the year. The confirmation comes after Joshua’s win against Jermaine Franklin earlier this month, which saw him victorious in a unanimous points decision, and back on form after two defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
Wilder, too, is in a tough position, having not fought since his win against Robert Helenius last October. However, the 37-year-old is relishing the chance to go toe-to-toe with Joshua, whom he has previously described as his “dream fight”. Wilder stated his excitement about the upcoming fight, saying “Joshua, everybody… I think a lot of people are going to get that dream fight everyone wants to see.”
There has been much speculation that Joshua and Wilder’s fight could form part of a four-way tournament in Saudi Arabia, with Tyson Fury and Usyk also facing off on the same night. Talks of a title fight between Joshua and Fury fell through earlier this year due to no agreement being found, but Hearn believes a tournament is still possible.
Hearn stated that negotiations are underway and that “subject to the deal, which has never been a problem with them [Saudi Arabia], AJ will fight Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury – no problem at all. They need all four fighters on board to make it happen. I’m sure Usyk will do it, I know Deontay Wilder will do it.”
It’s yet to be seen whether the tournament will go ahead or whether Joshua and Wilder will face off in a standalone fight. However, one thing is for certain – the anticipation for this fight is at an all-time high, and boxing fans around the world will be eagerly awaiting the outcome.
