Malik Scott, the head trainer for former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, would rather see Anthony Joshua remain on the shelf until a potential year-end showdown between the two punchers.
Investors in the Middle East are angling to secure a high-stakes showdown between Wilder and Joshua in the month of December.
However, there is talk of Joshua possibly fighting in the summer, in a rematch with domestic rival Dillian Whyte.
While the discussions for a fight with Joshua are ongoing, Scott indicates that nothing has been signed by either side.
“Without going into too much detail about the business aspect of it, everything’s been said, talked about, negotiated, but nothing’s been signed,” Scott told Betway.
“But signing is almost upon us. But the negotiations definitely are happening. The moves are being made. The business aspect is definitely being taken care of, and most of all Deontay Wilder is being taken care of and is going to get paid very well for his services, and that’s the most important part to me.”
Joshua was last seen back in April, when he picked up a twelve round unanimous decision win over Jermaine Franklin. For his past, Wilder hit the ring in October of 2022, with a first round knockout of Robert Helenius.
Scott further explains that he’s worried about the possibility of Joshua getting knocked off by Whyte or someone else – before he ever makes it to a December showdown.
“This is going to sound bad but I don’t care. If a C+ fighter that really believes in himself is against Anthony Joshua, he has a very good chance at beating AJ. You could be a C+ guy, but if you really believe, and you train hard, and you work hard, and you take advantage of the loopholes of AJ you could beat him,” Scott said.
“I’m not afraid of him fighting, but let’s say I don’t agree with AJ having an interim fight. I want us to be next to knock out Anthony Joshua. The way that he’s looking now, he may not make it to December. There’s just no telling. But we’ll see, he’s with Derrick James now, one of the best trainers in the game.”