American Deontay Wilder, who is at the top of boxing’s heavyweight division, said Britain’s Anthony Joshua will refrain from fighting him. Both Wilder and Joshua will fight on December 23, but not each other.
The boxing world eagerly awaits February 17, when Britain’s Tyson Fury, who holds the WBC heavyweight title belt, and Ukraine’s Oleksandr Ussyk, who holds three title belts, will determine the first four-time world champion weight class absolute.
Initially, the Briton and the Ukrainian were supposed to meet on December 23, but since Fury’s meeting with the free fighter Francis Ngannou turned out to be unexpectedly difficult, the match with Ussyk was postponed. In their place, two former world heavyweight champions, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, will box on December 23, but not against each other. Joshua will face Swede Otto Wallin and Wilder will face New Zealander Joseph Parker.
If successful, Joshua and Wilder could even face each other, but Wilder told the BBC that Joshua is afraid of him. “I don’t want to say that he is 100% afraid of me, but definitely 75%,” the American said. “It wasn’t about the money. It’s just that he doesn’t have the heart, will and courage to date me.”
“I don’t just blame Joshua. I blame his promoter, his team. Let’s face it, Joshua is [proomotor Matchboxi] largest source of income,” Wilder added, clearly calling out the Englishman.
If Fury and Ussyk agree to a rematch after the February showdown, it is likely that their titles will be vacated. And if Joshua defeats Wallin on December 23, he will likely get a chance to fight for the IBF title belt.
For this reason he has yet to respond to Wilder’s challenges. “Of course I want to be the champion. I’m focused on my opponent and the bigger picture. I would really like to fight for the IBF belt and I would really like to fight Wilder. Both are good options,” the Briton said.
“But the title belt means so much more to me. To be three-time world champion is something special. And then I would defend that belt against Wilder,” Joshua explained.
2023-12-19 13:13:00
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