The brewing heavyweight boxing mega-fight between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder has lost some of its spark after the pair suffered a total of five losses since 2019.
Joshua and Wilder once had a stronghold in the glamor division of the sport by owning every heavyweight title between them.
In March 2019, Wilder was offered $100 million by streaming service DAZN for a three-fight package that would include two fights against Joshua. However, Wilder rejected the deal with the streaming service, citing dishonesty.
Wilder instead chose to face Tyson Fury, but suffered knockout losses in back-to-back fights. Meanwhile, Joshua has had back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, as well as a knockout loss to Andy Ruiz Jr.
Wilder and Joshua have to climb the ladder once again to get back into the world title picture.
A surefire way to get another shot at a championship fight is to go toe-to-toe to identify a bona fide contender.
Shelly Finkel, Wilder’s longtime manager, is ready to rekindle years-long discussions to set up the fight.
“Yes [Joshua] he needs to take a break and take a fight as a comeback fight or if he feels like the real redemption is with Deontay, we’re open to that…I’m not closed to that. I would never walk away from that,” Finkel told The Sun.
“[Joshua] he had guts to get back into the fight when he clearly lost the first one. But he really depends mentally on what Joshua feels like he needs.”
The potential fight is gaining some steam in recent weeks, as Wilder and Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, have traded shots through the media.
But first, Wilder has business to attend to in the ring against Robert Helenius on October 15.
“Right now, we have one fight in mind, and nothing else, which is Helenius,” Finkel said. “Because if he doesn’t do what he’s supposed to do with Helenius, the rest doesn’t matter.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and television reporter. He is also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, by email at manouk[dot]collect[at]gmail.com or at www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
