Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua indicates that his potential showdown with Deontay Wilder could still land on the same card as the undisputed fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, which is going to happen in Saudi Arabia.
Fury returns to the ring next Saturday night in Saudi Arabia, when he faces former UFC world champion Francis Ngannou in a non-title crossover fight. There is already a deal in place to face Usyk.
Joshua, who fought twice in 2023, is looking a third outing in the month of December. He doubts Fury-Usyk will come off in December as rumored.
According to the British star, the group that manages boxing in Saudi Arabia are still very much interested in a doubleheader card that features his fight against Wilder and Fury colliding with Usyk.
“They want to put Usyk vs Fury and Joshua vs Wilder on the same night. When Fury gets through Ngannou it is going to be late October going into November so I doubt he will prepare for Usyk and then fight in December. It is too short,” Joshua told Sky Sports.
“So, the next window will be in March or April and that is when the undisputed fight will happen. What we are being told is that they want to make it a mega-card.”
Joshua is still unsure on who his December opponent would be.
“It won’t be a championship fighter – which is Usyk and Fury. It won’t be none of them guys and I am not too sure about the Wilder situation,” Joshua said.
“[Finalizing a deal for Wilder] feels like a land grab at the moment. Some fighters want to maximize their revenue. When I first started, you start, you build up your record, you fight and then you fight the big fights. But it is like, ‘where can we get the most money for the fight?’. And they want to go to Saudi Arabia so they are waiting for the undisputed fight. For my career, I have got to stay busy. And in terms of an opponent for December we have got to find the right opponent.”
Credit: Boxing Scene