- Anthony Joshua may meet Otto Wallin with Deontay Wilder facing Joseph Parker
- Wilder and AJ were supposed to fight in December but that has been postponed
- How do you get the biggest fight for an ailing AJ without huge risk? Listen to Mail Sport’s boxing podcast The Hook
Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are reportedly close to agreeing deals to fight on the same card on December 23 in Saudi Arabia.
Dan Rafael reports that a fight between AJ and Otto Wallin is being planned for the festive period, with Wilder possibly facing Joseph Parker on the same bill in Riyadh.
That would perhaps serve as a prelude to a long-mooted fight between Joshua and Wilder early next year.
Wilder said this week that he wants face-to-face talks with Joshua to iron out the contest for 2024.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk had been set to meet in Riyadh on December 23 but that fight has been pushed back after The Gypsy King took more blows from Francis Ngannou than he expected, going to the canvas.
Tyson Fury could fight on the same card as Deontay Wilder in December against Otto Wallin
Wilder’s reported opponent would be Joseph Parker, though it has not yet been fully confirmed
According to Dan Rafael, Joshua’s opponent would be former Tyson Fury opponent Otto Wallin
Meanwhile, Wilder would be facing off against ex-WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker
Both Joshua and Wilder knocked out heavyweight Joseph Helenius in their most recent fights
Should Joshua and Wilder’s fights headline a night also seeing Richard Rivera possibly take on Dmitry Bivol, it would be a grand replacement for the Fury vs Usyk evening.
Wallin, AJ’s reported opponent, won the WBA Intercontinenal heavyweight belt in October with a split decision win over Murat Gassiev.
Parker, who could face Wilder, held the WBO heavyweight title from 2016 to 2018.
However, it is the long-awaited bout between AJ and Wilder that fans crave.
Eddie Hearn claimed in May that a deal was ‘pretty much in place’ for the two to meet in December but negotiations have stalled.
Indeed, in April Joshua himself confirmed that he would face Wilder in December with Hearn flying to Saudi Arabia for discussions.
Both fighters go into December on the back of knockout wins against Finnish ehavyweight Robert Helenius.
Wilder floored Helenius in the first round in October 2022 after back-to-back losses against Fury, while Joshua beat Helenius after seven rounds in August at the O2 Arena.
