In a disappointing turn of events for boxing fans worldwide, the much-anticipated showdown between British boxing sensation Anthony Joshua and American heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is set to be postponed yet again. According to reports from the Mirror UK, Joshua will now have to wait until at least March for the highly awaited clash in the Middle East.
Originally scheduled for December or January, this epic battle has faced numerous delays, frustrating fans who were eagerly anticipating the fight of the year. In response to the ongoing postponements, Joshua has decided to take an interim fight before potentially stepping into the ring with Wilder in the spring. Joshua’s last bout was in August when he secured a resounding victory against Robert Helenius, who later tested positive for a banned substance in a pre-fight drug test.
Moreover, Joshua’s camp is closely monitoring the situation in the heavyweight division. In a twist of fate, the British boxer could be in contention for the IBF world title should it become vacant following Tyson Fury’s impending undisputed clash with Oleksandr Usyk, scheduled for December 23 in Saudi Arabia. This adds further intrigue to Joshua’s future plans in the ring.
Eddie Hearn, Anthony Joshua’s promoter, shed light on the situation, saying, “He wants to fight; he really wants to. We’ve been on calls with him all week. There’s a lot happening with the IBF situation. We’ll have to see. I think he’s going to fight in December or January. I think the Wilder fight, realistically, is not going to happen until March or April at the latest. But he wants to fight. He wants to go back to camp and asked us to try and make him a fight for December; whether that spills into January, we’ll see.”
This delay comes at a time when Joshua is striving to regain his dominance in the heavyweight division. In his last four fights over the past three years, Joshua has experienced both triumph and adversity. He suffered back-to-back world title losses to Oleksandr Usyk before bouncing back with victories against Jermaine Franklin and a knockout of Robert Helenius.
Speaking about the delays, Joshua expressed his unwavering determination, stating, “Any time’s a good time to fight. It’s only a fight. It doesn’t matter who it is. It could’ve been Wilder eight years ago or Wilder now. It is what it is at the end of the day. There’s no worry to me when it is. I’m just happy that we can get the fight going, and I think people appreciate that. I’m doing my best to keep heavyweight boxing on the map.”
As fans eagerly await the announcement of the rescheduled bout, the world of boxing is left in suspense as Joshua continues to prove his mettle on his journey to reclaiming the heavyweight throne.
