NEGOTIATIONS FOR JOSHUA VS. DEONTAY WILDER HAVE COLLAPSED; JOSHUA TARGETS FURY FOR NOVEMBER
The decade-long pursuit of Wilder vs Joshua has ended. With AJ targeting Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder now eyes a clash with Andy Ruiz.
After nearly a decade of attempts, the prospect of Deontay Wilder facing Anthony Joshua has finally fallen apart. As chronicled by World Boxing News from start to finish, this fight just isn’t happening anymore.
Joshua’s focus is shifting. By 2026, he’s aiming for a major British showdown with Tyson Fury, which means Wilder’s chances of being his next opponent are slim. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, has essentially dismissed the idea of Wilder as a tune-up fight, leaving Wilder out of the equation for the Londoner’s upcoming plans.
Joshua is expected to have a warm-up bout this summer before engaging in two fights against Fury. By the time Joshua is back on the scene for a world title shot, Wilder will be close to 42 years old, pushing him to look elsewhere.
That opens the door for other contenders. Moses Itauma, a fellow Brit, has stepped forward, expressing interest in facing Wilder. It’s a risky move, given Wilder's power, and some see it as a misstep for the Bronze Bomber.
More intriguing, though, is a possible showdown in the US against Andy Ruiz Jr. Talks about that fight have floated around since 2020, delayed first by the Fury-Joshua trilogy and then by contractual issues on Ruiz’s side. When negotiations were alive, financial disagreements caused a breakdown, but fan interest has remained strong. World Boxing News reported a surge in fan demand, generating millions of impressions, pushing for this matchup.
Following their recent face-off at Allegiant Stadium in September, Wilder vs. Ruiz looks like a viable path if either aims to work back toward a heavyweight title opportunity.
With Joshua out of the picture, Wilder’s next steps are under close watch. Suggestions of a rematch with Derek Chisora haven’t gained much traction. Whether he goes after an up-and-comer like Itauma or revisits the Ruiz rivalry, that choice will be critical in determining how Wilder reasserts himself in the heavyweight division.
A title shot isn’t off the table, but the next fight has to be carefully chosen to keep those chances alive.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
