Anthony Joshua has been on a tear recently and is preparing to fight against Daniel Dubois for the IBF Heavyweight championship. The fight is scheduled at Wembley Stadium on 21 September, and ‘AJ’ would like to win that title for the third time. However, there is a fight that fans may never get to see again. Or will they?
Millions of boxing fans eagerly awaited a bout between Joshua and Deontay Wilder. It was supposed to be a juggernaut clash when both fighters were still holding titles. It was supposed to be a super fight but failed negotiations and other factors constantly prevented the clash from happening. Between 2017 and 2019, there were several attempts to make the fight a reality, but it never materialized. Eventually, ‘AJ’ surrendered his unified title to Oleksandr Usyk and Wilder lost his title to Tyson Fury. And with Wilder’s recent form in a rut, fans lost all hope for the clash, but Joshua himself hasn’t lost it yet.
No bright lights, no trash talks, just a fight
‘AJ’ is preparing for his IBF heavyweight title fight and is focused on that as a priority. With his victory against Francis Ngannou, the Londoner is in quite a form and would like to get his heavyweight crown back for the third time. But there is still a regret in his mind that he was never able to face Wilder. After all, it was a clash that not only the fans wanted, but these two boxers were desperate for as well.
And even though the chances are slim, ‘AJ’ is hopeful for the juggernaut clash against Wilder and still wants the fight to happen. In an interview with DAZN, the former unified champion was asked by Ade Oladipo if he felt annoyed that the fight against Wilder could not happen. AJ replied, “The fight could still happen. For me, why not? I’ve always said it’s not a big deal for me. Strip away the bright lights and the trash talk, it’s only a fight. So yeah I’d fight Wilder.”
Joshua seemed motivated and excited about the grudge match. But as he revealed, he is focused on the title fight right now, but after that, he has the rest of the calendar year open and if Deontay Wilder can regain his form, we might finally see the clash happening. But is it too late for that fight as the difference between the quality became visible during the Day of Reckoning event last year?
Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder: Inevitable That Never Happened
It is not like that the two fighters never reached an agreement to fight. There were plans for these two to face each other in Saudi Arabia as they both signed a contract. The plan for them was to face each other in 2024 and AJ won against Otto Wallin as per the plan.
The problem arose from Wilder’s side as he suffered a shocking defeat to Joseph Parker. Another chance was given to the ‘Bronze Bomber’ but he lost his second consecutive match on the go, against Zhilei Zhang in just five rounds. This loss not only put an end to the inevitable clash but also raised concerns regarding Wilder’s future in boxing.
Meanwhile, Joshua is on a decent run right now, with four consecutive victories after his loss to Usyk. He might even challenge Usyk for a rematch for the undisputed championship if he can defeat Dubois. But the Bronze Bomber is 38 years old now and, with two consecutive losses on his card, fans are expecting a retirement announcement from the knockout artist, rather than a fight against Joshua. Many things have to fall into the right place for the fight to happen. But we have seen many seemingly impossible clashes in boxing before, and with hope, this fight might also become a reality.
