Wilder wants to bring Joshua and 'number one fight in the world' to Africa

By Sports Desk October 12, 2022

Deontay Wilder has reiterated his desire to face off against Anthony Joshua, which he believes remains the "number one fight in the world".

The Bronze Bomber has not fought since defeat to Tyson Fury in Las Vegas last year but makes his return to the ring on Saturday against the 31-3 Robert Helenius in Brooklyn.

Wilder's return to the ring is the start of a journey he hopes will lead him back to the heavyweight belts, held by Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, but he also harbours aspirations of fighting Joshua.

A bout between Wilder and Joshua would have previously been an encounter between the two top-ranked heavyweights across the globe but the pair's standing has taken a hit following their back-to-back losses against Fury and Usyk respectively.

Despite that, Wilder is adamant that a clash is still the number one draw for boxing fans and wants to bring the fight to Africa.

"I would love to do that fight in Africa. It's still the number one fight in the world for everyone. Everywhere I go, people always talk about me versus Joshua," he told BBC Sport.

"We both have roots from there.I think it would be an amazing place to have it, to go back home.

"To go back to the motherland. A continent full of our people. I can just see that being an amazing fight, win, lose or draw.

"I think we'll get the respect and love from all the people over there."

Joshua and Wilder were previously in discussions for what would have been an undisputed bout in 2019 and 2020, while AJ has recently seen talks for a fight with Fury collapse as the pair were unable to agree to terms.

Wilder foresees no similar issues in discussions with the Brit though, adding: "We're serious and we just need them to be serious as well. We tried to make the fight and it didn't happen. It's a new day and time. All things are possible."

Related items

  • Dillian Whyte makes winning return with victory over Christian Hammer Dillian Whyte makes winning return with victory over Christian Hammer

    Dillian Whyte made a winning return to the ring with a three-round victory over Christian Hammer in Ireland.

    The former WBC interim heavyweight champion, fighting for the first time since clearing his name of doping offences, proved too strong for his Romanian-born opponent in Castlebar, County Mayo.

    Hammer failed to get up from his stool for the fourth round, forcing the referee to stop the bout and hand Whyte his 30th professional victory.

    The 35-year-old Briton had not fought since his victory over Jermaine Franklin at Wembley in November 2022.

    He had been lined up to face Anthony Joshua last August but the proposed match-up never happened after Whyte tested positive for a banned substance.

    Whyte protested his innocence and was cleared to resume his career after it was accepted he had consumed a contaminated supplement.

  • Walters to continue comeback with headline bout against American Adorno on March 27 Walters to continue comeback with headline bout against American Adorno on March 27

    Jamaica’s former World Boxing Association (WBA) Super featherweight champion Nicholas “Axe man” Walters is set to continue his comeback later this month, when he squares off with American Joseph Adorno, at the White Sands Events Center in Plant City, Florida.

    Walters, who went into retirement shortly after he lost his unbeaten record to former pound for pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko in a seven-round bout in November 2016, will be hoping to extend his winning momentum on return to the ring for his 2024 debut on Wednesday, March 27. 

    The 38-year-old Walters had comeback victories over Luis Marmol in Colombia February 2023, and Reynaldo Esquivia, nine months later, and another against Adorno would certainly add impetus to his charge going forward.

    Although he doesn’t have a particular opponent that he craves, Walters hopes to get in the mix for big fights after this rust-shedding exercise.

    “My plan is to go down to 135, where the real warriors are fighting – all the big names. Being a world champion at 135 and a double-world champ [is the goal],” Walters said in a previous interview.

    The Panama-based Walters boasts a ring record of 28 wins (22 kos) against one loss and one draw, while Adorno has 18 wins (15 kos) against three losses and two draws.

    Walters had turned pro in 2008 after an amateur career that included bronze at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games and two gold medals at the Caribbean Championships in 2005 and 2006. Within a few years he became one of the world’s most exciting fighters of the lower weight divisions after defeating big names like Nonito Donaire and Vic Darchinyan.

    Originally from Montego Bay on Jamaica’s north coast, Walters became the first Jamaican ever to win a world boxing title at home when he defeated Daulis Prescott via a seventh round TKO to cop the WBA World Featherweight title in December 2012.

  • Lauren Price to fight Jessica McCaskill for world welterweight titles in Cardiff Lauren Price to fight Jessica McCaskill for world welterweight titles in Cardiff

    Olympic gold medallist Lauren Price will challenge American Jessica McCaskill for her women’s world welterweight titles on May 11 in Cardiff.

    Price will get her shot at McCaskill’s WBA, IBO and Ring Magazine crowns at the Utilita Arena having amassed a record of six straight wins since turning professional in the wake of her triumph in Tokyo in 2021.

    Victory would make more history for Price, the first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, who would also become the first Welsh woman to land a professional world title.

    Price, 29, said: “I’m over the moon for this fight to finally be getting announced.

    “The fact it’s in Cardiff is amazing. I’ve not boxed there since I first started out which was a good few years back now. I can’t wait to put on a show in front of my friends, family and Welsh supporters who have been great in supporting me throughout my career.

    “Jessica McCaskill is the current champion. She’s game, experienced and strong but I’ll be 100 per cent ready for whatever she brings on the night.”

    The experienced McCaskill unified the world light-welterweight titles before stepping up to end Cecilia Braekhus’ long reign as welterweight champion in 2020.

    She lost a world lightweight title fight against Ireland’s Katie Taylor in 2017 and lost a light-welterweight unification fight against Chantelle Cameron in December 2022. In her last fight in September last year, she fought a draw with Derby’s Sandy Ryan.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.