By Keith Idec
Anthony Joshua jokingly imitated Dillian Whyte when he was asked Saturday night who he wants to fight next.
“Just like Dillian said, ‘Wilder, let’s go, baby! Let’s go!’,” Joshua screamed during his post-fight interview with Sky Sports.
Whyte was very animated while calling out Wilder following his sixth-round knockout of Lucas Browne a week earlier in London. Joshua laughed after imitating Whyte, but only time will tell whether he’s serious about boxing Wilder next, now that he has beaten Joseph Parker by unanimous decision in their heavyweight title unification fight in Cardiff, Wales.
Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, insisted Saturday night that they’ll consider Wilder as Joshua’s next opponent. Hearn has repeatedly discussed Joshua making his debut in the United States sometime in August, however, perhaps against Jarrell Miller (21-0-1, 18 KOs) at Barclays Center in Miller’s native Brooklyn.
England’s Joshua also is due to make a mandatory defense of his WBA title against Alexander Povetkin. Russia’s Povetkin (34-1, 24 KOs) knocked out England’s David Price (22-5, 18 KOs) in the fifth round on the Joshua-Parker undercard Saturday night at Principality Stadium.
Later in the interview, Joshua said he would prefer his next fight to come against, “Wilder or Fury. Either one.”
A domestic showdown with former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (25-0, 18 KOs), who’s supposed to make his comeback this year, would do huge business in the United Kingdom. If Wilder were next, Joshua and Hearn emphasized Saturday night that Wilder would need to travel to the UK for their heavyweight title unification fight.
“All these years, UK fighters had to go to America,” Joshua explained. “Everyone had to spend a heap of money to go to Vegas. We can do it in London, around Wembley, Cardiff, local. We’re staying right here.”
The 28-year-old Joshua (21-0, 20 KOs) went the distance for the first time in his career to get past Parker (24-1, 18 KOs), from whom the 2012 Olympic gold medalist won the WBO title. The IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO champion is certain he wouldn’t need 12 rounds to beat Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs), the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, native who owns the WBC championship.
“What would I have to do to beat Wilder?,” Joshua said. “Get him in the ring and I’ll knock him spark out.”
Joshua wasn’t interested in a face-to-face confrontation with Wilder following Saturday’s fight. Upon learning that he wouldn’t be allowed in the ring if Joshua got past Parker, Wilder canceled his transatlantic trip to Cardiff, during which Wilder was supposed to be a guest commentator for Sky Sports’ coverage of Joshua-Parker.
“Forget the hype,” Joshua said. “I’m not into that. Everyone here knows me better than that. I’m not into the hype. I’m about business, so let’s get the business done.
“And now I’ve got the time to take my trainer [Rob McCracken], Eddie Hearn, to sit down and discuss it, plan with Al Haymon, [Shelly Finkel] and see what the future holds. I’m down to arrive for whatever, whenever.”
Haymon is Wilder’s adviser. Finkel is the 32-year-old Wilder’s co-manager, along with co-trainer Jay Deas.
All trash talk aside, Joshua is certain Wilder realizes he is more than willing to fight him.
“He knows,” Joshua said. “He knows on this side of the pond we’re serious. You know what I mean? UK, Great Britain boxing is on the map. We are representing. Not just myself, but all the undercard fighters, all the other heavyweight contenders, down to the lower weights. We are all representing. So you know we’re serious about our business.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
