- Deontay Wilder hinted that the fight with Anthony Joshua will happen next year
- His photo with AJ’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, signals an improved working bond
- Why Anthony Joshua’s next fight plan makes sense for his career: The Hook
Deontay Wilder has dropped a huge hint that his showdown with Antony Joshua will happen next year.
The Bronze Bomber abandoned his feud with AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn to post a photo alongside him and suggest to fans that the fight is on.
It comes after he accused Joshua’s Matchroom promoters of turning down £40million for a bout he was wanted for six years.
Fans will have to wait for the match-up but will see them on the same card on December 23 in Riyadh, when AJ will face Otto Wallin and Wilder will lock horns with Joseph Parker on the undercard.
Sharing a photo with Hearn on Instagram, The Bronze Bomber wrote: ‘Damn, this is wilder than Wilder. If you know the history then you know what’s understood don’t have to be explained. I will title this picture “Old Endings For A New Beginning“.
Deontay Wilder shared a post with Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, appearig to have resolved their feud
He vowed that boxing fans ‘will get what they’ve been waiting years for’ in his Instagram post
Fans have been craving a fight against Joshua for years but it has not materialised so far
Wilder told Mail Sport that AJ’s promoters turned down £40millon to arrange the bout
‘Finally, the boxing fans will get what they’ve been waiting YEARS for. The only thing that stands in the way now is Dec 23rd’.
December 23 was initially reserved for Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed heavyweight showdown, which has since been postponed following Fury’s punishing contest against Francis Ngannou last month.
Joshua, who has won 26 of his 29 fights, insisted the fight against Wallin was the first step towards what he hopes will be a third heavyweight world title.
December 23 has been labelled a ‘Day of Reckoning’ in boxing and is arguably one of the biggest cards in history after a disappointing year for heavyweight boxing.
But it is the Joshua-Wilder fight that they crave and the latter’s latest post is sure to spark excitement.
Hearn lashed out at Wilder this summer, claiming he has ‘never beaten an elite heavyweight’ and saying: ‘I cannot believe how highly people rate Deontay Wilder’.
Wilder told Mail Sport: ‘It’s his [Joshua’s] management that have held him back from fighting me because, you know, he’s a fighter. It’s been over six years (waiting for the fight to be made). But there comes a point in time we’re you’re like, ‘Forget it’.
‘Many times he wanted to fight, he wanted to accept it but his handlers didn’t want it because Joshua is the money-maker for the company. And if he goes down, so does the business.’
Tough tests against Wallin and Parker await and fans will hope they come through unscathed.