Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua could fight in the same card in December
Both former heavyweight champions are expected to step into the ring before the end of the year in Saudi Arabia.
2023 has been a great year for boxing. Combat sports fans have been able to enjoy fights involving some of the best fighters in the world and it looks like there will still be some more interesting bouts before 2024.
Former heavyweight champions Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua could make their return to the ring in the boxing event that is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia on December 23. The event hasn’t been made official yet, but promoter Eddie Hearn admitted that the plans are to include the American and the British fighters on the card.
There had been previous rumors about two mega-bouts between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder vs Anthony Joshua, but after Fury’s performance against Francis Ngannou, the fight with the Ukrainian star will have to wait.
There had also been talks about a clash between Wilder and Joshua, but Hearn said he would be interested in seeing them fight next year, although he didn’t mention a specific date.
Wilder and Joshua’s opponents revealed
Wilder has been inactive for more than one year and Joshua seems far away from his old version that knocked out every single opponent.
Hearn’s idea is to put both fighters in front of good opposition, but in fights where they should come out on top. That would help in the build-up of a potential mega-fight between the two heavyweights.
Boxing journalist Dan Rafael revealed that Wilder will face Joseph Parker, while Joshua will share the ring with Otto Wallin.
If those fights are finally made official, Wilder and Joshua would be expected to emerge victorious. Parker is a good fighter, but Wilder’s power could prove too much for the New Zealand boxer, while AJ has faced tougher rivals than the 32-year-old Wallin.
Wilder himself, Arslanbek Makhmudov, Zhilei Zhang, Martin Bakole, or Filip Hrgovic would be very dangerous for Joshua, and Hearn doesn’t want to run the risk of losing money in partnership with his Saudi partners.
There will also be a third big attraction on the night, as the light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is also expected to feature in the card to face Richard Rivera.