Anthony Joshua to face Deontay Wilder this year? Promoter makes massive statement
ANTHONY JOSHUA’s promoter Eddie Hearn has claimed there’s a ‘brilliant chance’ a unification fight with Deontay Wilder will happen this year.
Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder has been high on many boxing fans’ wish-lists for the last 18 months.
It was thought the pair would finally face off with one another after Wilder’s WBC heavyweight title showdown with Tyson Fury.
A controversial split draw put paid to those plans, which were further dented when an immediate rematch was ordered by the WBC.
Wilder vs Fury 2 won’t come to fruition anytime soon, though, as the latter has signed a broadcast deal with ESPN.
Wilder has since been ordered to defend his title against Dominic Breazeale but has reached out to DAZN - who broadcast Joshua’s fights in the USA - to discuss a potential bout.
And with Wilder vs Fury 2 seemingly no longer on the table, Hearn believes we could see ‘AJ’ lock horns with ‘The Bronze Bomber’ by year’s end.
“It’s fantastic,” Hearn said after learning of the news, “I think we’ve got a brilliant chance of making the Joshua fight.
“The only way that deal was ever gonna get made was doing it this way – the John Skipper way.
I think we’ve got a brilliant chance of making the Joshua fight
“He’s gotta be the one, in my opinion, that brokers the deal. He’s already proved that he’s very good at doing that.
“And I think he will get Wilder, I do. I think that he will put the deal together for Wilder to fight Joshua.”
Joshua will next be in action on June 1 when takes on Jarrell Miller at Madison Square Garden in New York.
And should he get past ‘Big Baby’, Hearn can foresee Joshua vs Wilder taking place a few months later.
“November/December,” Hearn said when asked a possible date for the fight. I think Deontay’s comments have led to this chain of events.
“By him coming out and saying, ‘I’m not with Showtime, I’m up for speaking to everybody.’
“John [Skipper] [DAZN’s executive chairman] knows what he’s doing, so he had to make sure that the approach was there.
“He spoke to me before and said, ‘What do you think?’ I said, ‘f***ing go for it, mate.’ I have full confidence in him to make this fight.”