Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder remains resolute in his desire for a potential showdown with Anthony Joshua, despite the long-anticipated clash consistently failing to materialise.
The pair have been on a stop-start collision course for nearly seven years, with signatures always seemingly just out of reach.
Missed opportunities and recent setbacks
Towards the end of 2023, the heavyweight titans appeared agonisingly close to finally meeting. However, while Anthony Joshua comfortably defeated Otto Wallin, Wilder suffered a wide points defeat to Joseph Parker, effectively scuppering their planned spectacle fight for the following year.
Since then, both fighters have faced further challenges. Joshua secured a brutal second-round knockout over Francis Ngannou but then suffered an equally devastating defeat to Daniel Dubois last September.
Wilder’s comeback and dwindling excitement
Despite recent setbacks, the 39-year-old Wilder is set to make a comeback this Friday against Tyrrell Herndon, a relatively unremarkable opponent, at the Charles Koch Arena in Kansas. As for Joshua, several heavyweights, including Wilder, have been mentioned as potential opponents for his likely return later this year.
However, “The Bronze Bomber” is tempering his expectations, expressing a dwindling interest in what is still, undeniably, a highly marketable fight.
“As long as we’re in the same division, there’s always going to be hope [for the Joshua fight]; there’s always going to be a discussion,” Wilder told Boxing News. “But at this point, I don’t get excited in the same way that I used to. This is a situation where it will happen when it happens.”
Wilder concluded with a clear statement of his current perspective: “They’ve already stated that they won’t care if they never fight me, and I believe that. I’m not putting any energy into that unless we’re in the ring. Otherwise, it’s all talk.”
