Before Deontay Wilder hangs up the gloves, Mike Tyson – along with many fans – want to see one long-awaited grudge match.
Following back-to-back losses to Tyson Fury, many thought the hard-hitting American had quietly retired, but a first-round blowout of Robert Helenius a year later put him back in the picture.
Defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang followed, however, and Wilder looked far from his best self during both. Talk of retirement resurfaced, and a seventh-round victory over little-known Tyrell Herndon twelve months after the Zhang loss didn’t do much to inspire fans.
Earlier this year, Wilder fought in the UK for the second time, beating Derek Chisora in a rare points win. Showing heart, grit and confidence, he has bought himself another run at the top.
The 40-year-old former WBC champion has since been linked with Oleksandr Usyk and, more recently, Jai Opetaia and Rico Verhoeven.
‘Iron’ Mike Tyson, however, still remains hopeful that a fight against Anthony Joshua can be made, as he told DJ Whoo Kidd when discussing the Brit’s upcoming clash with Fury.
“Tyson’s always been known to handle pressure well, but it’s going to be interesting to watch this fight. I know Joshua’s going to be throwing faster punches, but his punches can’t be faster than Deontay Wilder’s.
“I wanna see him [Joshua] fight Deontay.”
The Joshua-Wilder rivalry stands as one of the sport’s most high-profile missed opportunities.
At its peak in 2018, the two undefeated champions held all four major sanctioning body belts between them, but repeated negotiations for an undisputed clash routinely collapsed amid bitter disputes over purse splits and broadcast alignments.
Both camps spent years trading public blame. Ultimately, their paths split as Wilder entered his gruelling trilogy with Fury and Joshua eventually surrendered his unified crown to Usyk.
The long-awaited bout came agonizingly close to materialising in late 2023 under the financial backing of Saudi Arabian organizers.
Both men agreed to terms for a lucrative March showdown, provided they navigated their respective co-headline assignments on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Riyadh.
While Joshua held up his end of the agreement by dismantling Otto Wallin, Wilder suffered his wide decision defeat to Parker.
Now, the pair, while both still active, will have tough assignments before any fight can be discussed.
