Deontay Wilder's boxing career hangs in the balance. The former WBC heavyweight champion from Alabama must decide his next move after recent losses shook his once-unbeatable record.
Wilder's trainer, Malik Scott, wants to see his fighter face Anthony Joshua. Scott shared his thoughts in a recent interview.
"Look at my previous interviews, I've always been very high and keen on Joshua and Deontay sharing a ring together. I still can't even fathom the fact that they haven't fought each other in this long time. Two dynamic heavyweights in our time and now we're going into another time and they still haven't shared the ring with each other. That's the sad part about boxing."
Wilder's career took a hit after two losses to Tyson Fury. He bounced back with a quick knockout win over Robert Helenius. But losses to Joseph Parker and a knockout defeat to Zhilei Zhang have put his future in doubt.
Before the Zhang fight, Wilder hinted at retirement if he lost. Now, at 39, his team says he'll fight on. A bout with Joshua could be his path forward.
Joshua and Wilder have talked about fighting for years. It almost happened before Wilder's loss to Parker. Joshua has had his own ups and downs lately. He beat Otto Wallin and knocked out Francis Ngannou. But he lost his IBF title to Daniel Dubois in a five-round knockout.
Scott thinks the timing might be right for the two to finally meet.
"The circumstances have changed. Both have lost. Both have gotten knocked out. And both are older right now. If I was to look at it, I'd look at who's more accessible to get hit and who takes the best shot. I think it comes down to that now. We all know who punches the hardest and, in my opinion, Deontay has a better chin that AJ, but I think AJ puts together punches better than Deontay. Combination-wise."
Joshua planned to rematch Dubois right away. Now he's waiting to see what happens with the Fury-Usyk rematch before picking his next opponent.
Scott praised Saudi promoter Turki Alalshikh for trying to make the Wilder-Joshua fight happen. But he noted the fighters need to win key bouts to keep the matchup alive.
A Wilder-Joshua fight could breathe new life into both fighters' careers. Fans have waited years to see these heavy hitters clash. The coming months will show if this long-awaited bout will finally happen.
