Former heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua did not rule out a fight with Deontay Wilder in the wake of Wilder’s major upset loss to Joseph Parker.
Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s Wilder suffered a unanimous decision to New Zealand’s Parker in a fight that many expected Wilder to win. The hard-punching American, however, appeared reticent throughout the fight and was tagged with some eye-catching right hands by Parker.
Scores were 118-111, 118-110 and 120-108, all for Parker.
Parker’s win derailed what was reportedly supposed to be a showdown between Wilder and London’s Joshua on March 9 in Riyadh. But that matchup hinged on both fighters coming out victorious in their respective fights on Saturday’s high-profile card.
Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs), for his part, followed through on the agreement, stopping Otto Wallin in five rounds in a dominant showing that had his supporters insisting that their charge was “back.”
Afterward, Joshua left the door open to face Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) in the future—just not in the spring, as anticipated. Joshua believes the fight with Wilder still carries considerable appeal.
“I’m not too sure what can happen from here but I’m sure from a fan perspective they’ll be more annoyed,” Joshua said in the post-fight press conference. “For me I always understand how this game is. You never know. This is elite level boxing. Wilder just came up short but he’ll live to fight another day.
“Me and him can still get it on, we can still get it crackin’. I believe I’m a massive threat. I still think Wilder is a threat and I still think it does amazing numbers if you get it on. But I’ll leave that down to my management, trainers, promoters, to make the decision. I’m down to fight anyone, whenever and whoever.”
In the post-fight interview after his loss to Parker, Wilder hinted at retiring.
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.