DEONTAY WILDER’S MANAGER SAYS ANTHONY JOSHUA CLASH REMAINS TOP PRIORITY
Deontay Wilder's manager, Shelly Finkel, confirms Anthony Joshua is their top target for a long-awaited super-fight in late 2025 or early 2026, stating, "it's the fight of the last ten years."
Deontay Wilder's management hopes to rematch with Anthony Joshua six years after they both dominated the heavyweight division.
Joshua was the combined WBO, WBA, and IBF champion in 2019, while Wilder was the WBC champion. Consequently, the two were on their way to becoming uncontested. Despite being given the chance to rematch with Tyson Fury, Wilder chose to fight Luis Ortiz before scheduling a rematch.
By 2025, neither fighter had won a world title. Joshua's current professional record is 28-4 (25 KOs), while Wilder's is 44-4-1 (43 KOs). Wilder is currently searching for his next opponent after making a comeback to the ring earlier this year and defeating Tyrrell Anthony Herndon in Kansas in the seventh round.
"Next week, I will be in New York to visit him," Wilder's manager, Shelly Finkel, told Box Nation. "He is preparing to fight again at the end of this year or the beginning of next [year]." We would want to... Joshua would always be our first pick.
Although Joshua has been out since surgery for an elbow injury, Eddie Hearn, the British promoter, has hinted that Joshua might be able to get a fight before the end of 2025. In September 2024, the former Olympic champion lost to Daniel Dubois and has not competed since.
Finkel also stated that his client would not decline a battle with Oleksandr Usyk, the undisputed champion, citing Joshua as the priority.
He went on: "But we would fight [Oleksandr] Usyk if we could get him, if we can not get Joshua." The biggest battle for him, in my opinion, is [a fight with Joshua]. Hopefully, this will be the battle of the past ten years.
Of course, a Wilder-Joshua fight does not have the same appeal as it would have in 2019, much like a hypothetical matchup between Joshua and fellow Brit Fury. Finkel was certain, though, that the two could profit handsomely from sharing a ring.
"[The fight is] not as big as it was, but it is Huge," Finkel went on. Any of the smaller arenas would sell out, and perhaps Wembley as well, given a strong undercard.
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