Former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion David Haye has revealed how he thinks a fight between Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua would play out.
Wilder and ‘AJ’ were linked to a major fight when both reigned as undefeated heavyweight world champions, with their showdown planned to be the first undisputed heavyweight title contest of the four-belt era.
However, the fight never took place and Oleksandr Usyk instead became the first undisputed heavyweight world champion since Lennox Lewis, when he trumped Tyson Fury in 2024.
Since losing their titles, there has been a noticeable decline in both Wilder and Joshua, but each man is now seeking to prove that they remain as a threat to the heavyweight throne.
Their meeting could now be on the cards once again, after ‘The Bronze Bomber’ defeated Derek Chisora on Saturday, and then crossed paths with ‘AJ’ in the aftermath of the bout.
Speaking to The Sun Sport, Haye tipped Joshua to come out on top if the pair do finally collide, believing that the Briton has taken less punishment than his perennial rival and that, at this stage of their careers, that would prove decisive against both Wilder and Tyson Fury.
“Wladimir Klitschko nailed him [Joshua] with some big shots and he really showed the heart of a lion. He came back and he ground it out. He has it in him. Obviously, you don’t want to be going to that place but you’ve got to be able to unlock it when it is needed and he has shown that he can do it.
“He knows, going into these fights against potentially Fury and Wilder, that he has it and he hasn’t had to use it that often. As far as damage done to him, he hasn’t had any types of fights where he has taken the same type of punishment that Wilder and [Derek] Chisora did in that fight on Saturday night.
“So, he is fresh, and that makes a big difference as fighters get older, how many shots you taken over the years, on your reflexes, your timing, your recovery, your future training. So, I think that out of the pack, I think AJ [will come out on top] because he has looked after himself.”
Joshua could yet fight on two occasions this year, with both outings taking place during the second half of the calendar.
