Anthony Joshua has confirmed that he will "throw down" with long-time rival and fellow ex-heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder this December in a video with fans.
The hard-hitting duo have been pushing for a fight with one another for years, and despite neither man holding the belts any more, there is still massive fan interest in seeing them step in the ring together. And it appears the duo will answer the calls when they meet in December.
It is believed that Joshua and Wilder will fight in Saudi Arabia for massive paydays, potentially as part of a tournament with the men who dethroned them as heavyweight champions, Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury. And while Joshua didn't confirm it, he did tell a fan on social media that the bout was happening.
Instagram user kayphysical ran into Joshua and filmed a video with the heavyweight in which he asked him if he was going to beat Wilder. Joshua responded "that's what's happening" before he was quizzed on if it's in December, to which he replied that "it's public news, we're getting it on and throwing it down in December." When told that he must he win, Joshua responded "God willing".
The news comes after Wilder told iFL TV last weekend that he is keen to face Joshua while in attendance at Gervonta Davis' fight with Ryan Garcia. "We've got a lot of different options," he said. "We want Joshua, we want everybody. I think a lot of people are going to get their dream fight that they want to see.
"Nobody's an easy night, because on the night of the fights you never know what may happen. I feel great, Anthony Joshua stay training, man, and stay focused. I wish you nothing but the best."
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Talks are underway for the super-fight, with Eddie Hearn jetting into Saudi Arabia this week for discussions about a deal that could see hundreds of millions spent to get the four top heavyweights to the Middle East. It won't be cheap to land Wilder and Joshua on the same card, or even multi-night tournament, as Fury and Usyk, but all teams appear to be heading towards a deal.
Wilder’s trainer Scott told iFL TV : “I’m on the inside of the meetings, Deontay has me sitting right to him when we’re doing these meetings. What I can say is the things people are hearing are not fibs. The negotiations have begun, not with certain fighters or certain things, but the negotiations are definitely in tact…
“Everything is getting together, we’re going to see what fighters really wanna fight at that level. The ones that do, Deontay is gonna knock out and he’s gonna become two-time heavyweight champion of the world. I can say that those rumours are true, negotiations are going on and big fights are going be happening. Not just with us, with a lot of top fighters out there in the heavyweight division in Saudi Arabia.”
