Deontay Wilder Says He Wants Anthony Joshua Fight, Warns Heavyweight Division
Deontay Wilder has revealed he is ready to go toe-to-toe with British boxing sensation Anthony Joshua, who isn't far off from becoming the mandatory challenger for the American’s WBC heavyweight championship.
Like Joshua, Wilder, who earned a late stoppage win over Johann Duhaupas last month to take his professional record to 35-0, is one of the most exciting heavyweights around, and the two squaring off would certainly be an intriguing prospect for fight fans around the world. The American told BBC Sport (h/t Edward Chaykovsky of Boxing Scene) it’s a bout he wants to eventually happen:
"Most definitely [I would want to fight Joshua]. Any fighter who has some excitement behind them, that the fans love, I definitely want them. That's what keeps the heavyweight division alive and gives the fans what they want to see.
He's moving up in ranking. They have their plans for him. I'm the champion now and we have our plans so - anyone climbing up that ladder, or becoming a top ten or a mandatory - they are going to have to go through me because I'm going to be around for a long time.
And that's a promise and every time I've made a promise - I've kept it. That's a fight that I'll look forward to when the time comes. And the fans will look forward to it as well. All comers, everyone will have to go through Deontay Wilder.
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While Wilder has been devastating in his 35 outings to date, winning 34 inside the scheduled distance, there are questions about whether he can cut it at the very top level.
The 29-year-old is a thunderous puncher, with his devastating right hand wreaking havoc in the heavyweight division. But the one quality opponent he has faced, former WBC champion world heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne, is the only man to have gone the distance against him.
As ESPN’s Brian Campbell notes, the calibre of fighter he’s gone up against does make it tough to formulate a judgement on the champion:
Admittedly, the same can be said for Joshua, whom Chaykovsky claims could become Wilder’s mandatory challenger within a year, despite a scintillating start to professional boxing.
Up to now, AJ has won all of his 14 fights by way of knockout, underlining the quality he showcased at the 2012 Olympics, when he strolled to gold. But none of his opponents have been top draw yet.
Still, almost all of Joshua’s stoppages have been spectacular, including his most recent victory, which came in Round 1 against Gary Cornish, as we can see here:
There’s definitely an onus on Wilder to take a step up in class in his upcoming fights. He’s shown he has the power to blow away pretenders, but if he wants to be considered as the main entertainer in what is a much maligned division, now is the time to show he can do it against the top guys.
Alexander Povetkin, who Chaykovsky suggests will be Wilder’s next opponent, would be a fair litmus test. Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated thinks that’d be a necessary step for the WBC champion to make:
There will be a natural temptation to push Joshua into some big fights, with the 25-year-old, who is scheduled to face Dillian Whyte in his next bout in December, blitzing his way through the division. But he’s still young and still has plenty to learn before he should think about squaring off against more seasoned figures such as Wilder.
Either way, if these two continue to progress, then the heavyweight division is set to be a much more exciting place after a dreary few years. Joshua and Wilder are both fighters who appeal to boxing aesthetes and, given they are each still young, will surely find themselves on a collision course at some point in the years to come.
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