Deontay Wilder still wants to face Anthony Joshua and hopes the fight can be made on March 9 in Saudi Arabia, as initially planned.
Despite losing to Joseph Parker on December 23 at ‘Day of Reckoning,’ Wilder keeps his fingers crossed that Joshua will commit.
Wilder went down via the most expansive unanimous decision possible when suffering his third defeat. However, the agreement with AJ was in place before the reverse.
“The Bronze Bomber” dared to state Joshua was trying to avoid the encounter, even after Paker dominated him over twelve rounds.
For his part, Joshua stopped Otto Wallin in five rounds.
Deontay Wilder wants Anthony Joshua fight
“I just know he doesn’t want to fight the best of the best,” Wilder told 78 Sports TV. “That ain’t hating. That isn’t dislike.
“He didn’t want to break bread with me, and we could have made great money together and still can. Like I said, on March 9, the fight can still be on. It can still go on.
“We can still fight because they already said win, lose, or draw. But they’re already talking about the belt name [IBF], which is the perfect way to get out.”
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, stated Filip Hrgovic was the target as his fighter was forced to tread water. This is due to Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk signing a two-fight deal.
The first bout happens on February 17. A second is penciled in for the late summer or fall. Whoever wins will be a firm target for Joshua, who could become a three-time world heavyweight champion in the interim.
Joshua vs Hrgovic
Hrgovic is number one with the IBF, and Joshua is number two. Once Fury vs Usyk is in the books, the IBF will vacate the belt due to mandatory obligations.
Once Joshua vs Hrgovic is complete, the eventual champion will be the frontrunner for another undisputed battle at the end of 2024 or early in 2025.
Hearn hopes that will be Fury so he can be involved in a British blockbuster for all the marbles.
However, Zhilei Zhang has also thrown his hat into the ring to face Joshua. If Joshua wins the IBF strap, the Chinese juggernaut aims to be his first defense.
“I lost to a better man eleven years ago in the Olympics. I’m happy we have both come a long way,” said Zhang.
“We’ve gone through ups and downs in life. Now it’s time to do this for the sport of boxing and give it to the fans worldwide. Let’s get it on!”
