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Home » Wilder potentially being pushed out as Povetkin v Price is eyed for Joshua v Parker undercard

Wilder potentially being pushed out as Povetkin v Price is eyed for Joshua v Parker undercard

Eddie Hearn’s decision to offer Povetkin the opportunity to fight on the Joshua bill has given an early insight to where the Matchroom boss is looking to after the Parker unification.

Despite Joshua wanting to occupy all five titles on offer at 200 pounds plus, Wilder could be forced to wait as the three-belt champion battles the Russian number one WBA contender in the summer.

Wilder would have been a massive encounter for Wembley Stadium, although Joshua and Hearn may want to keep the anticipation going that bit longer and aim for the American in the winter of 2018 or even the spring/summer of 2019.

There doesn’t seem any other logical reason for Povetkin to be asked to feature in Cardiff, other than to drum up support for the WBA mandatory bout against Joshua.

Upon receiving the offer on Tuesday, Price had no hesitation in stating his interest in a fight which could resurrect his reputation on the world stage with a good performance.

“It’s a no-brainer with a massive upside for me. Everything to gain, so I just agreed straight away,” Price exclusively told Sky Sports.

“I don’t think the fight is actually made, but I’ve agreed to take the fight and if it can happen, brilliant.

“All of a sudden, the fire started burning again It’s just given me the boost I needed, and that’s why I’ve got these fingers crossed now, hoping for the call really.

“I would be a heavy underdog, understandably so, but I still believe there’s a twist to come in my story.

“I’ve had a bad few years and I feel like my perseverance is going to pay off at some point, it’s got to.

“It would have been easy for me to walk away from this sport and take myself away from the limelight, away from the criticism, the doubters, and go and live a peaceful life. But something has made me keep coming back and it may be this,” the Liverpudlian added.

As Wilder moves further away from facing Joshua next, the American has the chance to make a big statement against Luis Ortiz before a possible fight with Joshua’s compatriot and former opponent Dillian Whyte.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ may well fight on UK soil this summer, although Whyte would be the one in the opposite corner should ‘The Bodysnatcher’ come through Lucas Browne on March 24.

World Boxing Council President is yet to elect a stipulated challenger for Wilder, but with Whyte v Browne for the WBC Silver belt, it’s thought the winner would get the nod to face Wilder ahead of number two-ranked Dominic Breazeale.