Matchroom fuels Anthony Joshua-Wilder speculation surrounding a long-awaited bout between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder has reignited
Speculation surrounding a long-awaited bout between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder has reignited, with Matchroom Boxing publicly expressing fresh interest in staging the heavyweight showdown, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The proposed clash, once touted as a unification decider when both men held versions of the heavyweight titles in 2018 and 2019, failed to materialise at the time.
Years later, the narrative is re-emerging, as Matchroom CEO Frank Smith confirmed the fight remains very much in their sights—provided Wilder successfully completes his upcoming comeback bout.
“If he comes through his warm-up, Deontay Wilder,” Smith told Boxing News when asked about potential opponents for Joshua.
“This sport is about narrative. It’s about buying into fights that people have an interest in and that’s a fight that everyone would still have interest in. Regardless of whether it didn’t happen five years ago, people still want to see it now.”
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Wilder, now 39, is scheduled to face Tyrrell Herndon in Kansas on June 27. The former WBC champion has suffered four defeats in his last five fights, including losses to Tyson Fury, Joseph Parker, and most recently Zhilei Zhang.
Despite this decline in form, the American knockout artist remains a major draw, and victory later this month could earn him a shot at Joshua.
Joshua, meanwhile, has been sidelined following surgery on an elbow injury but is expected to return to the ring in the Autumn.
Talks have reportedly been held with organisers of Riyadh Season over a potential two-fight deal. Names such as Dillian Whyte and Jared Anderson have been mentioned, though Whyte now appears to be lining up a separate bout with Moses Itauma in August.
Frank Smith acknowledged that Whyte is no longer a frontrunner to face Joshua next, hinting instead that the Wilder fight could make more commercial and sporting sense.
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“I personally like the Deontay Wilder fight myself. I think there’s so much narrative there,” he explained in a separate conversation with BoxingScene.
“AJ’s in a great position. He’s still commercially the biggest draw in the sport, I believe, but we’ve got to make the right decision and this is the biggest decision he’ll make of his career.”
Smith added that the priority remains for Joshua to return to full fitness before finalising any plans. “Get back in the gym, get 100 per cent, and then we’ll go for it,” he said.
