The threat Deontay Wilder poses to Anthony Joshua

Deontay Wilder

WATCHING Deontay Wilder box, he does seem to do a lot wrong. He throws wide arm shots, reckless swings. He lunges forward, off balance, he jumps off his feet, he gets caught. And yet it seems to work. Heโ€™s knocked out everyone heโ€™s boxed, even if he needed a second run at Bermane Stiverne, hammering him easily enough inside the first round when they rematched this month.

Youโ€™d think Anthony Joshua, the unified IBF and WBA, would be too big, too technical and too skilful for the confident American. Yet thereโ€™s an argument for why Wilder is a real threat. David Price, the former British champion and Olympic medallist, is as shrewd an analyst of heavyweight boxing as there is. He explained to Boxing News why Wilder is a danger.

โ€œFor what itโ€™s worth, before I watched Joshua against [Carlos] Takam, I fancied Joshua to wipe the floor with Wilder. But now I think Wilder at long range would beat Joshua to the punch. Joshuaโ€™s mid range and close range work is brilliant. But at length he doesnโ€™t seem to get his shots off as quickly and I think Wilder would be in with a good chance of knocking him out,โ€ Price said. โ€œNot only that, Anthony Joshua is a textbook boxer and conventional textbook fighters are easier to read unlike Deontay Wilder, who will do things out of the ordinary that youโ€™re not expecting.

โ€œHe does things bit unorthodox. If youโ€™ve been fighting decent level fighters who do everything as textbook, itโ€™s quite easy to read. You throw a jab, then you throw a right hand. You see it coming. You read it a bit quicker then what Deontay Wilder does with them mad swings especially. Interesting all the same. I think Wilder could beat him. Thatโ€™s just my opinion.โ€

But Wilder, the WBC heavyweight champion, and Joseph Parker, the WBO titlist, need to be realistic to get their chance at fighting Anthony Joshua. โ€œTheyโ€™re both bringing something to the table which Joshua wants and needs, so theyโ€™ve got a point. But they have to admit the main money man in this is Joshua. Parkerโ€™s willing to concede 10% extra to Joshua, I think thatโ€™s out of the question. I donโ€™t think he generates anywhere near as much as what Joshua generates and if he believes he can beat him, whatโ€™s 10% in the grand scheme of things with that much money? Iโ€™d just go for it. You donโ€™t know many people are wanting their cut out of Joseph Parkerโ€™s money and thatโ€™s why theyโ€™re trying to get that extra bit,โ€ Price said.

deontay wilder

โ€œWith Wilder, if Wilder was bigger in America, and this is why I donโ€™t think the fight will happen soon, because I think theyโ€™re going to try and get the fight and the fighters more known in America, Wilder, Joshua. Because the pay-per-view in America will take it to another level and I think that fight wonโ€™t happen until itโ€™s pay-per-view in America and youโ€™re talking the McGregor-Mayweather numbers. Thatโ€™s what you could be aiming for. But then thereโ€™s the fact that theyโ€™re both heavyweights and anything can happen. In the meantime, while theyโ€™re trying to build it, one could get knocked out.โ€

If Price were to get the fight with Tyson Fury that he wants, a victory could catapult him into the big time and maybe even a heavyweight world title fight himself. The Liverpudlian though is cautious. โ€œI come back, Iโ€™ll be happy to win a British title,โ€ he says, โ€œbut letโ€™s see what happens.โ€

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