Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has weighed in on the controversial meeting between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul.
Joshua is set to lock horns with the former YouTube star over eight rounds at the Kaseya Center in Miami on December 19, the latest high-profile boxing event to be broadcast exclusively on Netflix.
‘AJ’ has been inactive since he was beaten for the fourth time in his professional career by countryman and former IBF world heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
Paul was last in action on June 28 when he racked up the 12th victory of his professional career against Mexico’s former WBC world middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr at the Honda Center in California.
Another man that has been linked to a clash against Joshua over the years is Wilder, who reigned as WBC champion for five years between 2015 and 2020, making 10 defences of his belt during that time.
In a recent interview with Action Network, Wilder shared his thoughts on the controversial match-up between Joshua and Paul, which he says is nothing but ‘a money grab’ for both fighters.
“I’m a real cool, laid back dude, you know what I mean? I don’t really have too much reaction to what the world has to offer. If people want to see things and they’re willing to pay the money to see it, then hey, why not?
“It is all about him and what he does from there. I just look at these opportunities, just fun, fun opportunities for the masses of the fans and a money grab. That’s all I look at it as something to have fun and get some money. That’s it, you know?”
Should ‘AJ’ come through his clash with Paul unscathed, the 36-year-old from Watford could go on to secure a long-awaited domestic showdown with Tyson Fury, who is reportedly set to come out of retirement to face his countryman in 2026.
