Anthony Joshua: record, next fight and profile →
Former unified heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, is keeping busy whilst he waits to find out if a mega fight with Deontay Wilder will go ahead. Joshua and former WBC champion, Wilder, have been circling each other for close to a decade but just when it seemed like a must-see shootout was on the verge of being agreed, talks cooled.
It’s apparently back to square one for Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder. The long-discussed heavyweight bout between hard-punching former titlists is no longer likely to take place in Saudi Arabia, as originally envisioned, but that does not mean the fight is in complete jeopardy, according to Joshua’ promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom.
Zhilei Zhang punched his way into contention at the perfect time. The massive Chinese heavyweight is now a potential failsafe option for one-time amateur rival Anthony Joshua, who—for now—remains hopeful of a super fight with Deontay Wilder. The clash of former heavyweight titlists has been teased for months but remains limbo and at a point when Joshua and his team are eager to move forward with the Brit’s career.
It was a good win but one that many in boxing circles viewed as a bit fluky. Joe Joyce was a former Olympic silver medalist and while he never had the prettiest style, he was effective. Zhilei Zhang, however, couldn’t care less about Joyce’s punching power and granite chin. In his opinion, all he needed to do was land
Eddie Hearn, promoter for former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, believes a potential British showdown with Joe Joyce is practically a dead issue for the future.
Andy Ruiz Jr. continues to search for a willing collaborator. The former heavyweight titlist from Imperial, Calif. took to social media recently to comment on his protracted absence from the ring, while calling out the likes of Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, and WBC titlist Tyson Fury.
John Fury, father of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, believes there is only one fighter who is man enough to face Deontay Wilder. There have been ongoing talks to finalize a fight between Wilder and fellow former champion Anthony Joshua - but that contest is appearing less and less likely to happen with each passing week.
Jose “Zurdo” Ramirez can’t seem to stand still for too long. After grabbing a world title at 168 pounds, the Mexican native had a transient run at 175 pounds. Although a near-shutout loss at the hands of Dmitry Bivol wasn’t his best performance, his handlers over at Golden Boy Promotions believed that he had all of the tools necessary to compete with the best of the best at 175 pounds.
Veteran promoter Frank Warren does not expect a potential clash between heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder to come off. For the last few weeks, the battle of former champions was being negotiated to take place on a January date in Saudi Arabia.
The prospect of Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua meeting before the end of the year seems to be becoming more and more remote. A fight which was apparently set in stone just a few weeks ago looks to be drifting further away by the day.