AUSTIN – A fight between former world heavyweight boxing champions Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder could be part of a “mega card” with an undisputed title clash in Saudi Arabia between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua suggested on Sunday.
Contracts have been signed for Britain’s Fury and Usyk of Ukraine to fight for their combined titles on a date yet to be decided in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
“They want to put Usyk-Fury, Joshua-Wilder on the same night. That might not happen until April,” Joshua said ahead of Formula One’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
“When Fury gets through (Francis) Ngannou, it is going to be late October, early November, so I doubt he will now prepare for Usyk and fight in December, it’s too short,” added the 34-year-old Briton.
WBC (World Boxing Council) champion Fury is due to fight former UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) heavyweight champion Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on Saturday in a bout with professional boxing rules.
Usyk holds the WBA (World Boxing Association), WBO (World Boxing Organisation), IBF (International Boxing Federation) and IBO (International Boxing Organisation) belts and, like Fury, has an unbeaten record.
“The next window (after that for Fury-Usyk) will probably be in March-April, so that’s probably when the undisputed fight will potentially happen,” said Joshua, who was in Austin for the Formula One race after being announced last week as an investor in the Renault-owned Alpine team.
“Then obviously what we are being told is they want to make it a mega card and they like the sound of Joshua versus Wilder on the same card.”
Wilder was WBC heavyweight champion from 2015 to 2020.
Joshua, twice beaten by Usyk, said his next fight would be in December and likely in London against a “non-championship” opponent yet to be decided.
No date has been set for him to fight Wilder, 38.
“Some fighters want to maximise their revenue,” added the Briton.
“It is like, ‘Where can we get the most money for the fight?’ And they want to go to Saudi Arabia so they are waiting for the undisputed fight.
“But I am just following my process, I am not listening to all the noise about Wilder and these guys. When the opportunity comes, we will be ready, because I will have trusted where I’m going and it will have led me to the fight, but I am not waiting around for big opportunities.” REUTERS
