Anthony Joshua would beat Deontay Wilder if they fought, according to heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian shared his thoughts on the potential matchup that's been years in the making.
Joshua and Wilder ruled the heavyweight division at the same time for several years but never faced each other in the ring. Now, both former champions are looking to climb back to the top.
Joshua lost his belts to Usyk in 2021 and couldn't win them back in their 2022 rematch. He's since rebuilt his career with wins over Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius, and Francis Ngannou. But he hit a snag in September 2023 when Daniel Dubois stopped him. Joshua's now recovering from an injury.
Wilder's had a tough time too. He lost twice to Tyson Fury in their trilogy. After a quick knockout win against Robert Helenius, he lost to Joseph Parker on points. In June 2023, Zhilei Zhang stopped him. Wilder's next fight is scheduled for June 27, 2025, against Tyrrell Herndon at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita.
Wilder recently said a fight with Joshua might happen soon:
"Not this year, for sure, but in the near future. Maybe sometime next year, maybe a year after that. Everything, all that, is close. We just all got to do what we gotta do."
When asked about who'd win between Joshua and Wilder, Usyk told Daily Mail Sport he thinks Joshua would come out on top.
For now, Joshua's fans hope he might fight Tyson Fury if Fury comes out of retirement. Wilder needs to rack up some wins to make the Joshua fight more likely.
