Deontay Wilder remains confident that he will box Anthony Joshua.
The Bronze Bomber has a two-fight deal to box Joshua, provided they have won their respective fights. Joshua stopped Otto Wallin, making him quit on the stool. Wilder fell short against Joseph Parker, losing a unanimous decision. Joshua vs. Wilder was off, as the Brit faced Francis Ngannou. Wilder has now turned his attention to Zhilei Zhang for a fight on June 1. Both boxers are coming off a loss to Parker.
However, by getting a victory, they can place themselves a step closer to a title shot now that Saudi Arabia is putting on the biggest heavyweight fights. Wilder vs Joshua has been talked about for some time. They were linked with an undisputed bout in 2018. Wilder’s camp had reportedly offered Joshua $50 million to make that happen. However, the deal never happened since Wilder’s team did not send a contract and wanted the offer accepted before that would happen. But if Wilder comes through against Zhang in an impressive performance, he backed himself to get that fight.
Wilder On Joshua
“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
Zhang has also expressed his desire to box Joshua. Following his consecutive wins over Joe Joyce, Zhang called out the Brit. They faced each other on one occasion at the 2012 London Olympics. Joshua came out victorious, as both men’s careers went in different directions. Joshua became a Unified Heavyweight Champion of the World on two occasions. As for Zhang, his career has had a late resurgence despite the loss to Parker. When asked about the fight, Zhang alleged Eddie Hearn did not want the fight.
Zhang On Joshua
“My team is talking to his team and 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. We had multiple communications between our team and his team about me fighting him. Maybe we can [fight] again in in the future, but the future [is] unknown,” Zhang stated
If either fighter wants the Joshua fight, they must press ahead based on Joshua’s recent comments. The boxer admitted that he plans on retiring from the sport in the next two years. That gives Joshua limited time to set up the biggest fights. Bouts against Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are likely to be included. However, whether Wilder or Zhang can get themselves in that area depends on what happens in their upcoming fight on June 1. Wilder’s trainer, Malik Scott, expects the old Wilder to return.
“If he [Wilder] now goes in and is the Deontay Wilder that I’m always bragging about to you guys, you’re going to see Zhang fall and it’s going to be a beautiful thing. Wilder is very artistic and violent. Zhang is a pop tart when he gets fatigued. He [Zhang] falls apart and he gets really scared. He almost would do anything not to get tired. [And] he just doesn’t like getting into a vulnerable position when he’s tired. Our job is to take him into darkness. I believe Deontay is a much tougher man,” Scott stated
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