By Scott Gilfoid: Unbeaten WBC heavyweight talent Deontay Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs) says he’s really looking to a clash against undefeated #2 WBC Anthony Joshua (14-0, 14 KOs) when/if the British heavyweight has worked himself into the No.1 mandatory spot in the future.
Wilder sees the 6’6” Joshua as being a good opponent for him, and he’s really looking forward to that fight if it ever happens. Wilder likes the idea that the boxing public is fully behind Joshua in the UK, because he wants an opponent that can generate a lot of excitement by having a large fan base.
Of course, this is all premature at this point because Joshua needs to defeat unbeaten Dillian Whyte (16-0, 13 KOs) in their fight two months from now on December 12th at the O2 Arena in London, UK. If Joshua gets whipped by Whyte, then it will be Whyte who will likely be moving up in the heavyweight rankings, although I doubt the World Boxing Council will give Whyte the same #2 rankings as they have Joshua at.
Lock And Load. Zoned in. #AJBoxing 👊🏾💥 pic.twitter.com/EN9rLCqSem
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyfjoshua) October 12, 2015
In theory, the WBC should let Whyte take Joshua’s Number 2 rankings, but I see the WBC putting Whyte near the bottom of their top 15 rankings, and will still likely have Joshua ranked ahead of him. Whyte doesn’t have the same push by the fans and media that Joshua has. That’s why I see Whyte only getting a bottom 15 ranking if/when he beats Joshua on December 12th.
“I’m looking to be the man to bring the division to the ultimate top,” Wilder said via the BBC.com.
When asked if he’d like to fight Anthony Joshua, Wilder said “Most definitely. Any fighter that has excitement behind him, that the fans love, that’s who I want. He’s [Joshua] moving up in the rankings. They have their plans for him, and I’m the champion now. We have our plans. Any man that’s climbing the heavyweight ladder and they become the mandatory, they’ll have to go through me. I’m going to be around for a long, long time, and that’s a promise. Every time I’ve made a promise, I’ve kept it.”
It’s too bad that Joshua has to go through a devastating puncher like Whyte in order to get the Wilder fight, because I don’t see Joshua winning that fight.
I’d rather Joshua face Wilder straightaway so that the Wilder-Joshua fight is much bigger. I don’t think that there will be nearly as much of a buzz for a Wilder vs. Whyte fight, because Whyte didn’t win a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics like Joshua did. Winning that gold medal creates a massive amount of hype behind Joshua. It doesn’t matter that a lot of boxing fans thought Joshua was given a gift in winning the gold medal due to the fans feeling that he was beaten twice in the Olympics.
Joshua is still is getting a ton of media exposure just because of getting the medal. Joshua hasn’t been exposed yet, so a Wilder-Joshua would be perfect if it happened now. It’s just too bad that Whyte will likely beat him first because it will taint Joshua’s record once he’s been beaten for the first time.
“That’s definitely a fight [Joshua] that I’m looking forward to when the time comes,” Wilder said. “I’m sure the fans will be looking forward to it as well. I’m looking for all comers. Everybody must go through Deontay Wilder. January may be a date for me for sure. We’re looking to get an opponent. I’m looking to go against some of my rival opponents. I’m also looking forward to my first mandatory bout as well. People are going to be very pleased about it. I said I was going to be an action champion, and I’m looking forward to get back in the ring now,” Wilder said.
Wilder will be taking an optional title defense in January against an opponent still to be determined. Wilder could be fighting in New York at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. His handlers are looking to expand his brand around the United States, which is why it makes sense to make a star out of him on both the East and West Coasts of the U.S.
There’s no word about who the opponent will be, but it makes sense if they were to pick an Eastern European fighter around the same size as Wilder’s No.1 WBC mandatory Alexander Povetkin. Wilder needs to get ready for the Povetkin fight, and someone like #3 WBC Vyacheslav Glazkov would be perfect for him.
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