A highly anticipated clash between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder does not seem like it will be happening anytime soon.
The two men both fought in December, with Joshua taking on Otto Wallin while Wilder clashed with Joseph Parker, with the expectation that the pair would fight each other next.
Wilder vs Joshua was a fight that everyone wanted to see, but now it may never happen
Joshua put together an excellent performance, as he out-boxed Wallin over five rounds and then stopped him to record his third victory of the year.
Wilder, however, suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Parker who fought with tremendous discipline to win by unanimous decision.
As such, it looks as if the Wilder vs Joshua fight will not be happening next.
And promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed this, as he told IFL TV: “The fight’s dead for now…
“The people who wanted to put the fight on no longer see that as the fight that it was.
“The numbers don’t work now because Wilder’s a busted flush at the moment.
“It’s a mismatch in my opinion.”
As for who Joshua will fight next, Hearn named Zhilei Zhang, Filip Hrgovic and Francis Ngannou as potential options.
And should the Brit win his next contest, he could be in line to take on the winner of Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk that will take place on February 17 for the undisputed heavyweight world titles.
In terms of Wilder, there was some speculation that he might retire following his most recent defeat, but ‘The Bronze Bomber’ insists that we will see him back in the ring again.
Otto Wallin has spoken out for the first time since being stopped by Anthony Joshua after just five rounds on December 23.
Before the Day of Reckoning, a portion of boxing fans were backing Wallin to spring an upset and derail a planned fight between AJ and Deontay Wilder.
Joshua was at his blistering best agaisnt Wallin
However, after ‘The Bronze Bomber’ spoiled the mega-money clash by being easily outpointed by Joseph Parker on the undercard, Joshua rolled back the years in the main event.
The former two-time heavyweight champion dominated Wallin from the first bell and forced the stoppage after just five rounds of boxing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In his first interview since his second career defeat, the Swedish contender refused to make any excuses and praised his opponent for a great performance.
“I know that he is one of the best fighters out there,” Wallin told Boxing News.
“I really have no excuses, he was just better. He did really well, used his reach well, and he hit me with some really good shots. He was just better.
“I think he had a good game plan. He felt like a very good fighter, and obviously, it was a much tougher fight than what I had with Tyson Fury. Maybe he’s found his home with Ben Davison.”
Wallin’s nose was pouring with blood after round five, and his long-time coach, Joey Gamache, made the bold decision to pull his fighter out early.
The 33-year-old didn’t dispute the call at the time, and over a week later he still feels his trainer did the right thing.
In 2019, Wallin almost pulled off an upset win over Tyson Fury
“I didn’t disagree [with the stoppage],” Wallin added.
“Joey told me, ‘I’m going to stop it.’ And I didn’t say anything. Joey has been with me for ten years, he’s seen me training and in almost all my fights – he’s never pulled me out of anything.
“I trust Joey, he is always looking out for me. I feel very happy that I have a trainer who puts my health first. There’s a life after boxing, so I’m really appreciative that he is looking out for me.”
Wallin confirmed he suffered a fractured nose during the fight, and revealed a surgery to repair it has already taken place – but may need to go under the knife again.
“I’ve gotta heal up,” he said when asked what he plans to do next.
“I’m going to the hospital on Tuesday to deal with my nose.
“I had a surgery after the fight, and I might need another one.”
Anthony Joshua is starting to look back to his best and is eyeing some big fights in 2024 after dispatching Otto Wallin.
AJ turned in a top display to stop the Swede in Saudi Arabia just before Christmas to make it three wins from three since back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua was in fine form against Wallin
The plan was for Joshua to face Deontay Wilder should he beat Joseph Parker, but the American lost via unanimous decision to leave those plans in tatters.
Anthony Joshua next fight: Is his next opponent confirmed?
No, Joshua’s next bout is yet to be confirmed.
The plan was for Joshua and Wilder to win their respective fights to set up a huge event in March 2024 between the two former world champions.
The deal between the two camps was all but agreed, but after Wilder’s defeat, those plans are ruined.
Instead, a date with Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgovic looks to be AJ’s next bout.
Hrgovic is the IBF’s current number one, and a mandatory challenge for that belt is long overdue.
Of course, Tyson Fury is fighting Usyk for that title in early 2024.
However, the duo have signed a two-fight deal, meaning the IBF belt will become vacant before their rematch, so Joshua would face Hrgovic for that title.
Hrgovic will probably be AJ’s next opponent
Meanwhile, Frank Warren suggested that Joshua should face Daniel Dubois.
The Brit recovered from his controversial defeat to Usyk to stop Jarrell Miller on the same card as Joshua’s fight against Wallin.
So that’s an option for AJ as well.
However, a potentially more glamorous bout than either of those two would be a clash against the winner of Fury vs Usyk.
Joshua has yet to face Fury in his career despite several rounds of talks over the years, but for whatever reason, it’s never happened.
It’s a fight that would capture the general public and could see the debate about who is better finally settled.
Fury and Joshua would be a massive fight
And if Usyk wins, you would think this new-look Joshua would love a crack at some revenge.
He’s faced the Ukrainian twice and comfortably lost both times, so he would want to right that wrong.
Therefore, there are plenty of options open to Joshua.
Anthony Joshua fight: When will it happen?
Joshua would have faced Wilder in Saudi Arabia on March 9, 2024, if all had gone to plan.
Of course, Wilder lost, so that looks to be off.
Any title fight with Hrgovic would have to wait until after Fury and Usyk’s clash on February 17, 2024.
That would also be the same if he were to fight the winner of that superstar fight.
Therefore, unless Joshua takes on Dubois, we could be waiting until mid-2024 to see AJ back in action.
Joshua is ready to take on anyone
Anthony Joshua next fight: What’s been said?
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, confirmed after the Day of Reckoning in Saudi Arabia that a date with Hrgovic was most likely to be AJ’s next bout.
He said: “It was a tough decision between the championship and Wilder.
“We signed for Wilder, he lost tonight.
“But maybe it’s a blessing because he wants to become a three-time heavyweight world champion.
“Now it’s gonna be AJ vs Hrgovic for the world title.”
Hearn wants to see Fury and Joshua finally clash, although thinks Hrgovic is more likely
However, Hearn also revealed he wants to see AJ face Fury.
He said: “I’ll be honest, I’d love to see him fight Fury.
“If Tyson Fury can beat Oleksandr Usyk, then I’d love to see him fight Tyson Fury. I’d love that fight.
“I hope that Tyson can be triumphant in that fight, but we’ll go away now – obviously coming into tonight, we had our plans for March, but now we reassess.”
Meanwhile, Warren is really pushing Dubois.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, he said: “For me, [Dubois] could fight any of those guys in the top ten. Even AJ would be a good fight. I’d watch that all day long.”
But AJ wants Fury.
Speaking immediately after dispatching Wallin, he was asked about his next opponent and said: “100 per cent Tyson Fury, but I’m not dodging Hrgovic, by the way.
Frank Warren wants to see Anthony Joshua take on Daniel Dubois following their respective wins during the Day of Reckoning on December 23.
In the main event, AJ rolled back the years as he ruthlessly stopped Otto Wallin in five rounds in Ridyah, Saudi Arabia to set himself up for a big year in 2024.
AJ took care of Wallin, but Wilder couldn’t fulfil his end of the bargain
Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder was supposed to be his next opponent – the long-time rivals had already signed to fight each other.
However, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ suffered a shocking upset loss to Joseph Parker in the co-main event, and Joshua is now left scoping the heavyweight ranks for a big-name opponent.
Warren thinks Dubois would be the perfect dance partner for Joshua.
“For me, [Dubois] could fight any of those guys in the top 10. Even AJ would be a good fight. I’d watch that all day long,” the Hall of Fame boxing promoter told talkSPORT Breakfast on Wednesday.
‘DDD’ bounced back from his KO defeat to Oleksandr Usyk by stopping previously unbeaten contender Jarrell Miller in the final seconds of their 10-round bout.
“I thought Daniel Dubois was brilliant,” Warren said.
“Absolutely magnificent. He proved to all his doubters that he does have heart in a tough, tough fight against a guy who is very good with his gamesmanship, was a tough, tough competitor and made him fight all the way.”
Many believed Dubois scored a legitimate knockdown when he fought Usyk in August, but the referee called it a low blow and the Englishman faced quitting claims after being counted out in round nine.
Dubois picked up the biggest win of his career in style
Warren added: “He needed a confidence booster.”
“That fight with Usyk, he gave Usyk his toughest fight. He hurt him to the body, and, for me, that was a legitimate punch, and the referee giving him more than four minutes to recover was ridiculous.
“That fight is gone, and he got a lot of stick afterwards about his desire, and whether he really wants to be at the top level.
“Well, he showed that he does because that was a tough fight. He had to dig deep. He had to grit his teeth, and he did all those things.”
Now, his promoter thinks he’s ready to fight AJ
Joshua’s main goal is to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.
Filip Hrgovic, the IBF mandatory challenger, appears to be his quickest route back to glory and is the first name AJ mentioned during his post-fight press conference.
Dubois is certainly a more well-known opponent and could provide Joshua with the big payday he missed out on when Wilder suffered his third career defeat.
Only time will tell if Warren will be able to make the fight happen.
Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin fight has a rematch clause for their headliner on December 23rd at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It’s a bit surprising that Joshua (26-3, 23 KOs) would have a rematch clause for this level of opponent, considering that the 33-year-old heavyweight fringe contender Wallin (26-1, 14 KOs) can’t punch and is considered by many fans as a step down from AJ’s last two tune-up opponents Robert Helenius & Jermaine Franklin.
Why does AJ need rematch clauses?
Hearn’s excuse for AJ having a rematch clause for the Wallin fight is that he’s “the biggest star” in boxing, which many fans would disagree with. Even if that were true, why a rematch clause for this level of opponent? It doesn’t make sense.
Even if Joshua were to lose, Wallin wouldn’t be going anywhere. What other options would he have? Tyson Fury already beat him, and Deontay Wilder wouldn’t waste his time fighting him because U.S. fans wouldn’t want to see him against Wallin. Unfortunately, rematch clauses are a fact of life for Joshua and part of the standard thing for him, which is sad because he should be confident enough to fight without them. He fought the tub of lard Andy Ruiz twice and Oleksandr Usyk twice.
The boxing public could live without AJ’s rematches against guys who shouldn’t have ever beaten him in the first place if he were the real deal. The fact that Joshua is losing to fighters like Usyk & Ruiz shows that he’s not a great talent and never was from the get-go. He’s just some guy that the Brits thought was great after he was gifted a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics after winning four consecutive questionable decisions against these fighters:
Roberto Cammerell
Erislandy Savon
Ivan Dychko
Zhilei Zhang
JOSHUA VS. WALLIN HAS REMATCH CLAUSE
“It’s a one-fight deal, but there are ongoing discussions. You see a lot of people saying, ‘Why isn’t AJ fighting [Deontay] Wilder on December 23rd?’ We got approached for a fight which was Otto Wallin. It was six weeks until the fight. He accepted the fight,” said Eddie Hearn to Secondsout, discussing Anthony Joshua. Hearn doesn’t say who approached him for Joshua to fight Wallin instead of Wilder. If the Saudis wanted this fight, Hearn should have asked them why they would have this awful match-up. Also, it’s risky for Joshua because even this type of opponent could potentially beat him.
If Joshua is losing to guys like Usyk & Ruiz, he could get beaten by Wallin as well, and if that happens, it’s pretty much career over outside of the UK. Yeah, we know the British fans are forgiving of their fighters and will continue to purchase their fights on PPV regardless of how many times they get beaten. For example, look at 39-year-old journeyman Dereck Chisora. He’s got thirteen losses, yet he’s still headlining on PPV in the UK. It’s unbelievable but so sad.
“Also, from there, we all know what the plan is. We all know what they want,” said Hearn. “We all know what we want, which is, of course, the fight with Deontay Wilder. They’ve both got to win, and we’ll work quietly behind the scenes whilst everyone is preparing. “Hopefully, by the time they [Joshua & Wilder] are both victorious on December 23rd, we’ll know what the plan is. Yes,” said Hearn when asked if there’s a rematch clause for the Joshua vs. Wallin fight. “Because it’s Anthony Joshua, the biggest star in the sport,” said Hearn when asked why a rematch clause was needed for Joshua-Wallin.
Joshua is the biggest star in the UK, but not the world. He’s down below fighters like Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, and David Benavidez in the U.S.
HEARN WANTS JOSHUA TO SHOW WALLIN NO RESPECT
“I just think he wanted to smash Jarrell Miller’s head in, and if I was a little more tougher, 80 lbs heavier, and I could fight, maybe I would as well because he says a lot, and we know what happened last time,” said Hearn. “You can’t really win if you’re AJ because on the one hand, he’s a bit quiet and a bit boring. Then someone says something disrespectful to him, and he comes back and fires back, and, ‘Oh, his head’s gone. He’s lost the plot.’ So, I like what I saw,” said Hearn. Joshua did a lot of thinking when he was holed up in that darkened room for four days, and he clearly decided to be tougher towards people during his interactions when the cameras are rolling in public.
“I saw a guy that’s actually ready to damage, and that’s what I need from him in this Otto Wallin fight. I need him to show very little respect to Otto Wallin in this fight. It’s a very, very tricky fight,” said Hearn. Joshua has got to let his hands go in this fight because Wallin will move around all night and pick him apart with his pesky jab to soften him up. If AJ gasses out in the second half of the fight, Wallin might even knock him out. “Look at Tyson Fury on how he behaves. No one really starts questioning his mindset. AJ says, ‘Shut up or I’ll knock you the f*** out,’ and everyone says, ‘Whoa, AJ has lost the plot.’ He’s a fighter. You’re already going to get overanalyzed in that situation. He’s ready to go and looking good in the gym,” said Hearn. “Agitated” isn’t the right word to describe how Joshua looked & behaved during the kickoff press conference for the December 23rd card. A better word to describe him would be one of these terms:
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