Promoter of former unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua, Eddie Hearn, said his fighter plans to take on Deontay Wilder as a preparatory bout ahead of a clash with Tyson Fury.
A potential Anthony Joshua-Deontay Wilder fight is back in the conversation, with Eddie Hearn framing it as a step toward an even bigger all-British showdown with Tyson Fury. Speaking about Joshua’s next move as the former heavyweight champion recovers from injury, Hearn said the plan is for Wilder to serve as a high-profile warm-up before a long-awaited meeting with Fury.
That idea alone says plenty about where Joshua’s career stands. For years, Joshua vs. Wilder was one of boxing’s most anticipated heavyweight matchups, but the fight repeatedly slipped away when both men were closer to their peaks. Now, if it happens, it would still carry major relevance in the division because a win for Joshua would strengthen his case for a blockbuster bout with Fury, while a Wilder upset would instantly throw the heavyweight picture into chaos and put him back in the title conversation.
According to Hearn, the 36-year-old Joshua needs a serious test, but not one viewed in his camp as too dangerous, before stepping in against Fury. In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Hearn said Joshua is recovering from injury and added that he expects him to overwhelm Wilder and finish the fight within three rounds.
American boxing fans have long viewed Joshua-Wilder as one of the sport’s great missed opportunities, the kind of matchup that would have been enormous in Las Vegas or New York at its commercial peak. Even now, the fight still has real intrigue because Wilder remains one of the division’s most destructive punchers, while Joshua is still trying to prove he can combine patience with the finishing instincts that once made him the face of heavyweight boxing.
Joshua’s last outing came in late December, when he knocked out Jake Paul. If Hearn’s blueprint holds, the next few months could determine whether Joshua finally gets Wilder in the ring first and Fury after that.
