Eddie Hearn continues to beat the drum for an Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder heavyweight showdown.
The Matchroom Boxing head, who promotes London’s Joshua, indicated recently that he believes that match-up can materialize sometime in the second half of next year.
Hearn said he had some minor communication with the manager of former champion Wilder, Shelly Finkel, last month, but serious discussions have not ensued.
In any case, both fighters will have different opponents lined up for the first quarter of 2023. The WBC recently decreed that Wilder and Andy Ruiz engage each other in an elimination bout for the WBC heavyweight title, which is currently held by Tyson Fury. Both Wilder and Ruiz fight under Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions banner.
As for Joshua, Hearn has made it clear that his star charge is likely to return to the ring against the winner of the upcoming heavyweight match between Dillian Whyte and Jermaine Franklin this Saturday in London. Joshua has suffered two consecutive defeats against Oleksandr Usyk, the WBO, WBA, and IBF champion from Ukraine, the second loss occurring in August in Saudi Arabia.
“Not since,” Hearn said of his communication with Wilder’s handler in an interview with iD Boxing. “I know that obviously Deontay Wilder has been ordered to fight Andy Ruiz, AJ’s looking at his next opponent. We’ll keep that communication going. I don’t see AJ fighting Wilder in March, in all honesty, but the summer and certainly 2023, yes.
“It’s a massive fight. You have to see what happens with Tyson Fury as well. Wilder is the obvious fight to make. Whether he fights Ruiz or not that may determine what happens with Anthony Joshua. If they both fight in March, say, you go into a big fight this summer. Then you have Dillian."
"I really want to make AJ versus Wilder in 2023. I think that’s a standout fight. And he wants it as well. He wants all the biggest fights, and that’s one of the biggest out there.”
