Anthony Joshua has said he is open to fighting Deontay Wilder on the same night of Tyson Fury’s undisputed boxing heavyweight battle against Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia next year.
Nigerian-Briton Joshua will first have his next bout in London, at either the O2 or Wembley Arena, in December, he revealed.
World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Fury’s next fight is against mixed martial arts star and former UFC world heavyweight champion, Cameroonian Francis Ngannou on Saturday.
A deal for Fury to face Ukrainian Usyk — which will see the winner become the undisputed world heavyweight champion — in Saudi Arabia has already been sealed.
Usyk currently holds the World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation heavyweight titles after beating former holder Joshua twice.
Speaking to Sky Sports in Austin, Texas ahead of last night’s United States Grand Prix, 34-year-old Joshua said: “If they get this undisputed fight on [Usyk vs Fury], which has been looming for a while, word on the street is that it’s supposed to be the undisputed fighters and then the undercard is supposed to be a big, lively one with me and Wilder.
“But, in the meantime, we’re going to be active this year. I’ve set my goals three times this year, and I’m still potentially going to get a fight in [before the end of the year].
“End this year on a high, God willing, and then move onto the next year and go out there and kick some more behind.”
Following those two defeats to Usyk, Joshua returned to winning ways by knocking out Finnish Robert Helenius in London in August, clearing the path for a future meeting with former WBC champion Wilder.
When asked by Sky Sports as to whether he has plans to face Fury in the future, Joshua said: “I’ll be honest, for me personally I’m here for the fans, and I know what they want, and my job is to deliver.
“I will 100 per cent do my end of the bargain, it’s up to the other team [Tyson Fury’s] to play ball.
“One step at a time. December I want to get out, April [vs Wilder] I need to be victorious, and then we can talk about the big fight in the future.”
Source: Read more at iretura.com
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
