Anthony Joshua is currently in the market for his next opponent with around two or three fights left in his two-time heavyweight championship career.
The big-punching Brit is currently out of the title picture having lost in devastating fashion to IBF Champion Daniel Dubois last year, though is currently building back from an injury for one last ‘roll of the dice’ at the top table.
While Joshua’s target fights are a rematch against Dubois or a long-awaited clash with currently retired Tyson Fury, another grudge match he has so far missed out on is against American puncher Deontay Wilder.
Speaking to 78 Sports TV,‘The Bronze Bomber’ – who will return against Tyrrell Herdon in June after over a year out – said that he expects the transatlantic heavyweight battle against ‘AJ’ to take place next year.
“Not this year, for sure, but in the near future. Maybe sometime next year, maybe a year after that. Everything, all that, is close. We just all got to do what we gotta do.”
Wilder, who is coming off losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, said that he must get himself back in the picture and firing before signing to face Joshua.
“I got to get myself back together first. I gotta prove to myself that I’m back together like I feel. I had to take a wellness check. Something was seriously wrong with me, and at first I couldn’t identify what was the problem.
“I kept trying to talk myself out of the situation, encourage myself that it would be all right. Going through a phase and stuff like that, but the battle was [tougher] that what I thought it would be.”
Riyadh Season’s Turki Alalshikh, who has had a hand in Joshua’s last three bouts, has shown great interest in the Wilder fight. Promoter Eddie Hearn has also not ruled it out, but has made it clear that the knockout artist from Alabama must look good against Herdon.
