Anthony Joshua says he will box in September on the 20th or the 21st.
Joshua is coming off a second-round KO win over Francis Ngannou. That was his second win on the bounce under Ben Davidson after stopping Otto Wallin. Before facing Ngannou, there was the narrative that the winner will box the victor between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. Fury and Usyk box on May 18 for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship.
There is a rematch clause in place, while the winner is also obligated to defend against the IBF mandatory. That will either be Filip Hrgovic or Daniel Dubois, who face off on June 1. But before a rematch takes place, there is the potential for Joshua to box the winner of Fury-Usyk. This is especially true if Fury emerges victorious, as it gives fans a British domestic clash.
Since Joshua has already lost twice to Usyk, there is no incentive to make that fight again. While that may have been the case, it appears those plans have changed. Joshua spoke on either boxing the winner of Filip Hrgovic vs Daniel Dubois, or the winner of Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang winner.
Joshua’s Return
“It’s gonna be in London, Wembley Stadium. This what I’m being told. If that’s what they say, they normally back their word so let’s go with that. Wembley, September 20 or 21. You’ve got Filip Hrgovic versus Daniel Dubois and you’ve got Zhilei Zhang versus Deontay Wilder (on June 1). So providing one of those [winners] looks good – the one who looks the best, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh said to me, ‘I want you to fight him.’ He’s trying to deliver what the fans want,” Joshua said
A Joshua vs Wilder fight is the most desirable one out of those options. They were linked with an undisputed fight in 2018 when Joshua held all the belts except Wilder’s WBC title. Wilder’s team sent $50 million to Eddie Hearn. However, Joshua’s side had to accept the offer before a contract was sent. Those terms were not acceptable, and the contract was never accepted.
Wilder and Joshua would lose their titles, as the fight was never made. A two-fight deal was then agreed provided Wilder and Joshua won their bouts. Joshua beat Wallin, while Wilder lost to Joseph Parker, ending hopes of that fight. While Joshua vs Wilder is not as big as it once was, fans could still see the two heavy hitters in the ring. Based on Wilder’s following comments, there is still an appetite to make that fight.
Joshua vs Wilder
“People are always going to want to see that fight no matter what. I put it in the high 90s [percentage chance of happening]. It only takes that one fight, that one night. Deontay Wilder knocks [Zhang’s] head off, and the world goes crazy. Wilder versus Joshua. They want it [again],” Wilder said
But Wilder must come through Zhang. The Chinese heavyweight also lost to Parker in his last fight, knowing his career was on the line. Zhang looked better than Wilder in his last fight, dropping Parker twice. However, he was outboxed on his way to a decision defeat. This time around, Zhang is ready to make Wilder retire.
“My team even flew to London to meet his people.’ And I believe what I heard was Eddie [Hearn] liked the idea, but when it comes down to himself or the managers around him, I’m not sure. I really wanted it. That’s what I can tell you,” Zhang revealed
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