Deontay Wilder has asserted boldly about Anthony Joshua, implying that if Joshua had won against Joseph Parker on Saturday night, he might have contemplated retirement to avoid facing Wilder. The two heavyweight contenders were scheduled to meet if they emerged victorious in their respective matches on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Saudi Arabia.
Despite Eddie Hearn confirming a signed deal for a Joshua-Wilder showdown next year, these plans have been delayed following Wilder’s third career defeat at the hands of Joseph Parker.Wilder, who had only completed one round of boxing in just over two years since his trilogy fight with Tyson Fury, displayed signs of ring rust as he was convincingly outperformed by Parker.
First post from Deontay Wilder following his UD defeat to Joseph Parker: "…this is not the end, we'll be back".
— Fight Gist media (@Fightgistmedia) December 24, 2023
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🎥 via @BronzeBomber#Boxing #fightgistmedia #DeontayWilder #JosephParker #zhang #AnthonyJoshua #StarAcademyleLive #WilderParker #Wilder #JoshuaVsWallin #JOSHUA pic.twitter.com/f57N711Boa
In contrast, Joshua delivered one of his most impressive performances shortly afterward, securing an impressive fifth-round stoppage victory against Otto Wallin. Joshua demonstrated complete control and showcased excellent boxing fundamentals, effortlessly navigating through the bout with the Swedish boxer.
Nevertheless, Wilder argues that Joshua’s stellar performance was shaped by the understanding that he wouldn’t have to confront ‘The Bronze Bomber’ in his upcoming match. After his surprising defeat to Parker, Wilder remarked:
“They really don’t want that fight. When I lost, did you see how happy he was coming out? I broke out laughing, I said, ‘That guy’s happy as heck.’ I made him capable of performing like that. He was like, ‘I ain’t gotta fight Wilder.’ The rumor was he was talking about retiring if I won… March 9th, the fight still can go on. But this is a perfect way for them to get out.”
Despite the current absence of the Wilder bout in the plans, significant opportunities await Joshua. His triumph over Wallin has elevated him to the No. 2 position in the , positioning him favorably to square off against mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic for the vacant IBF world title after the belt becomes available post the Oleksandr Usyk and Fury’s undisputed fight on February 17.
However, the two-fight agreement between Usyk and Fury clashes with the IBF’s mandatory arrangements. Consequently, a vacant world title contest is likely to be organized between the No. 1 (Hrgovic) and No. 2 (Joshua) contenders in the coming year.
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