There is still a ray of hope that Anthony Joshua might next be fighting Deontay Wilder in an intriguing heavyweight match-up between two former champions.

The potential fight would represent one of the best contests for either men at this stage in their careers, even despite both being currently without a belt.

Joshua lost his to Oleksandr Usyk, and Wilder had his taken away by Tyson Fury, with both of the victors now set to face off in the first undisputed fight in 24 years at some point in the near future.

Over the summer Wilder has been strongly linked with a fight with Andy Ruiz Jr, though negotiations have been protracted and fractious.

Joshua, meanwhile, has been open about looking for the Wilder fight after his two comeback wins, though as yet nothing is signed, leading Wilder’s trainer to believe the Brit ‘doesn’t want it.’

Fabio Wardley is one man who would like to see the fight, but finds it hard to call.

Speaking to OUTBX, the current British heavyweight champion gave his view and sided with the American Olympic bronze medalist saying his one-punch knockout power is too much to evade for a whole fight.

“If I was a betting man, it’s almost hard to say because I do always want to back a Brit but I’d probably give it to Wilder.

I think it’s very difficult, especially with the way Joshua has been as of late, I think you have to edge it to Wilder, The way Joshua has been a bit cuter with his boxing, trying to stay at range and distance, I think that leads you in more to get caught.”

He then referenced what Wilder has said before about opponents needing to stay switched on for every moment of every fight but he only needs one second to switch out someone’s lights.

Whilst Wardley believes it’s true, he also doesn’t count out ‘AJ.’

“A lot of it depends on how Wilder turns up himself. He has a new coach with Malik Scott. He’s made him box smarter, cuter, maybe that plays in and Wilder doesn’t always let off that right hand.

So there are a few variables to bounce around. It’s never a foregone conclusion.”

The British heavyweight champion is next out against David Adeleye on the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou undercard in Saudi Arabia on October 28.

He will be looking to settle their heated feud, which really boiled over when the pair had a scuffle at an earlier press conference for the fight.

Deontay Wilder is losing patience after his heavyweight showdown against Anthony Joshua suffered yet another delay.

Joshua and Wilder have been linked to fight for several years but the former heavyweight champions are yet to meet in the ring. An illustrious Saudi Arabia event that would have featured an undisputed fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk and Joshua vs Wilder was being targeted for the end of the year, but talks have since pushed the fight back until January – if it happens at all.

Wilder’s coach Malik Scott has admitted that ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is getting frustrated as he continues to train without a fight lined up. “I just know that Deontay was training yesterday and the day before that he was training. “It’s a real frustrating situation because Deontay is the one as far as activity is the one who misses out. There were a lot of promises and seems like those promises are being broken a little bit, but we’ll see,” he told ESNews.

Joshua recently picked up his first knockout win in over two years by stopping short-notice replacement Robert Helenius, who failed a drug test just two weeks after the fight. Helenius replaced Joshua’s domestic rival Dillian Whyte after he was forced out of the fight having also returned an adverse finding in a pre-fight drug test.

Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn admitted talks for Joshua vs Wilder have hit a roadblock in recent weeks but the promotion are looking at other countries in the Middle East to host the mega-fight. Hearn thinks ‘AJ’ may take another fight at the end of the year to stay active in preparation for a clash with Wilder.

“It’s definitely not dead in the water but it’s slow,” Hearn told sportnow Fighting about the fight. “You see different entities now involved in boxing in Saudi and for us, we’ve already agreed terms for that fight but we’re yet to sign a contract. I’m sure their strategy is moving all my time, but there is a chance it doesn’t happen. I’ve never said there isn’t, but when we were told six or seven weeks ago that this fight is done, we’ve had a lot of confidence that is fact.

“Now things have changed a little bit in that landscape. I don’t know what they’re going to want to do. Are they going to the two fights on the same night, which is also now being discussed? Do they want to do Usyk against Fury or do they want to do Fury vs AJ? I don’t know, but sooner or later we will get to a spot in time where we need to move on in December/January.”

During a media interview captured by Fight Hype, trainer Malik Scott discusses Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez’s latest performance over Joe Smith Jr before touching on the current status of Deontay Wilder, who still hasn’t been scheduled for his return. Check out some of what Scott had to say about Wilder below.

Scott on any updates with Wilder’s career

“When you the hardest puncher in the history of the sport it’s very hard for guys to want to fight you. I’m gonna say a number…fighters would rather stay poor than make $4M. That’s a tragedy. They’d rather ask for $15-$20M knowing it’s not on the table, they knowing this money is not on the table for them but they’d rather ask for that. It’s insane.

“Deontay is one of those fighters that can literally cut your switch off completely with one shot. And that’s something that most fighters don’t want to face, they don’t want to face that specimen.

“I just want him to fight, man. I’m so frustrated, that’s my brother, I love him, and to me out of all this shit he’s the one not benefiting from it because of inactivity.”

On if Anthony Joshua or Andy Ruiz is more willing to come to the table

“Ruiz probably at this point. AJ is cool if he go his whole career without fighting Deontay. He don’t really mind it…To me, AJ doesn’t campaign about the fight enough. He doesn’t really want it and we all know why. Because stylistically he’s picture perfect to be knocked the fuck out by Deontay.”