Deontay Wilder was never in the running to face Anthony Joshua this year and that’s fine with him, claims Shelly Finkel, the “Bronze Bomber’s” manager.
Wilder, a former WBC heavyweight champion long linked to “AJ”, reinvigorated his career earlier this month with a 12-round points victory over fellow veteran Derek Chisora. Joshua watched on from ringside inside London, England's O2 Arena and was called out by Wilder in the aftermath.
It briefly triggered speculation that Wilder, 40, and Joshua might soon fight, many years after the contest would have been one of the most eagerly awaited in boxing history. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, even teased that Wilder, 45-4-1 (43 KOs), could be his fighter’s warm-up for an all-British showdown with Tyson Fury.
This week, however, it was confirmed that the 36-year-old Joshua, 29-4 (26 KOs), will return to the ring on July 25, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to take on the unknown Kristian Prenga before scrapping with Fury later in the year. Wilder, 45-4-1 (43 KOs), wasn’t exactly holding his breath, though.
“Can’t be disappointed about something that never was,” Finkel told Sky Sports. “Eddie never reached out to us and Joshua obviously had no intention of fighting Deontay Wilder. Same old story, just a new date.”
The pair not fighting in the previous decade – when both were unbeaten heavyweight titlists and a fight between them would have crowned an undisputed champion – was a ridiculous situation. Each camp blamed the other for the failures.
