THE signs are not promising that we will get to see Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder this year.
A few days ago it was a very different story. A contract was sent over, it looked like the fight the world was waiting for could be made. But now the negotiations the world is tiring of have lurched in a new direction. The WBA, the sanctioning body for one of Joshuaโs three world titles, had given him time to negotiate with Wilder for the unification clash. But today the WBA declared that now Joshuaโs team have 24 hours to confirm a date for the fight with Alexander Povetkin. He would have to fight Povetkin, or face being stripped of the WBA heavyweight title.
A major part of the appeal of the Wilder fight isnโt only that the two are big punchers and big personalities but that it would unify all four world titles in the heavyweight division. Shedding a world title therefore would undermine that.
Eddie Hearn, Joshuaโs promoter, told Sky Sports News, โWe canโt do a lot more than weโre doing. [Anthony Joshua] wants that fight more than anything. But thereโs not a lot more we can do. We sent the contract nearly nine days ago now. Weโre not even necessarily expecting a signed contract back, we just want your comments. If I wanted a fight, if my fighter wanted a fight and we received a contract, I would be back with the comments within 24 hours. Nothing makes sense here at all. They emailed me on Sunday and said weโll be back with our comments on Friday. Why do you need another five or six days? They know weโre under pressure from the WBA and it all feels like a big game.
โThis Wilder fight is one that has to get done and has to get signed. Itโs a fight we desperately want but at the same time weโre not going to give up a belt.โ
So if Povetkin is ready to go, which he probably is, then that fight could well be next.