Speaking with Chris Mannix last night in Las Vegas, Eddie Hearn gave the latest on what move former two-time heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua may make next. AJ, in need of a win after his crushing loss to Daniel Dubois, saw his big fight with Tyson Fury fall apart when Fury announced his latest ring retirement (of course, the jury is still very much out when it comes to whether or not Fury will actually stay retired this time). Now, a fight with Deontay Wilder is back as a possibility, while Hearn says the “priority” is Joshua becoming a three-time heavyweight ruler.
“The focus remains the world heavyweight title,” Hearn said as far as what means the most to Joshua. “Obviously Daniel Dubois is fighting Joseph Parker February 22. We’ll keep an eye on that. We’d love the winner but if that’s not possible we need an opponent. [Agit] Kabayel against [Zhilei] Zhang is on the same card. Martin Bakole talks about a big fight in Africa but I guess commercially [AJ] coming off the defeat to Dubois, the jeopardy of a Deontay Wilder fight is there. AJ-Wilder is still must-watch TV. And although the focus is the world heavyweight championship if that’s not available we have to look at all options.”
Personally, I’d love to see Joshua get it on with Bakole in Africa, in what could be hyped as a sort of “Rumble in the Jungle II.” Bakole even squared up with Joshua at the recent Ring Magazine Awards show, and before that, the Congolese giant stated firmly that he would knock Joshua out cold if he fought him.
But is Bakole too dangerous for the current, perhaps suspect-chinned version of Joshua? As for Wilder, the former WBC heavyweight champ’s career is in a far worse place than is Joshua’s, what with Wilder coming off two defeats, the second a nasty KO defeat at the hands of Zhang. Set, we hear, to fight Curtis Harper in his comeback fight, Wilder, if he wins that one, may start calling for the Joshua fight. Turki Alalshikh wants to see it, and big money talks.
A few years back, a Joshua Vs. Wilder fight really would have been unmissable. But today, is this past its sell-by date fight still “must-watch TV,” the way Hearn says it is? Sure, we’d watch the fight if it happened, especially if the fight took place on a stacked card. But plenty of fans wouldn’t go cancelling pre-existing plans to tune in. Who is more badly faded right now – 35 year old Joshua, 28-4(25), or 39 year old Wilder, 43-4-1(42)?
