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Anthony Joshua still wants Deontay Wilder next year, after the two fight to close out 2018, Joshua against Alexander Povetkin on September 22 and Wilder against Tyson Fury in November.
But Joshua says he understands why Wilder is facing Fury:
“We have to fight, there’s no two ways about it. ... I know the strategy is for him to fight Fury after a three year lay-off. He’s got a good chance of beating him. It will boost his profile so when he comes back to the negotiating table he will have a better leg to stand on.”
Fury (27-0, 19 KO) has fought twice recently, tune-up wins over Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta, but Joshua (21-0, 20 KO) clearly isn’t taking those bouts too seriously. And to be sure, Fury facing Wilder (40-0, 39 KO) is definitely a massive step up in danger and quality.
But he could be right. If Wilder beats the man who still claims to be lineal heavyweight champion of the world, and if he knocks him out, Wilder and his team can come back to the negotiating table with more power, which could make negotiations for April 2019 at Wembley Stadium even more difficult.
Right now, Eddie Hearn believes that Dillian Whyte is the leading favorite to face Joshua in April.