Wilder tells Joshua: “You can only run for so long”

By Boxing News - 11/06/2017 - Comments

Image: Wilder tells Joshua: “You can only run for so long”

By Scott Gilfoid: Deontay Wilder says he’s coming after Anthony Joshua, and he feels that he’s only going to be able to keep up with his running and his excuses for so long before he’s finally FORCED to face him inside the ring.

Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs) wants to unify the heavyweight division. Joshua, he IBF/WBA heavyweight champion, is one of the 2 names that are standing in his way keeping him from fulfilling his goal. The other is WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker. Wilder feels confident that he’ll be able to get the fight for the WBO title in time as well if Joshua doesn’t get to Parker first.

WBC heavyweight champion Wilder sent a strong message to Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) last Saturday night with his 3 knockdown performance in crushing his WBC mandatory Bermane “B-Ware” Stiverne (25-3-1, 21 KOs) in a 1st round knockout in front of 10,000 boxing fans at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The fight was televised by Showtime World Championship Boxing. There’s no word yet what the ratings are for the fight in the U.S. It helps Wilder to be seen by as many boxing fans as possible so that he can put more pressure on Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn to make the unification fight.

“It’s short, sweet and simple. I’m coming,” said Wilder to Fighthype in talking about his going after a unification fight with Joshua. “You can only deny me for so long, and you can only make excuses for so long. I got rid of my mandatory, and I was going to get rid of his mandatory as well to help him out with Luis Ortiz. That didn’t happen. He got rid of his mandatory,” said Wilder about Joshua’s recent 10th round knockout win over Carlos Takam on October 28.

Wilder will get his shot at Joshua eventually. It may happen in 2018, as Hearn says it will, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the fight is put off until 2019. Wilder doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere for a long time. He’s pretty stable right now. The one that looks a little shaky right now is Joshua. He hasn’t impressed in his last 2 outings against Takam and Wladimir Klitschko. And given the way Joshua’s weight continues to climb with each fight, he might end up getting beaten soon due to all the weight lifting he’s been doing.

Since last year, Joshua has packed on 11 pounds of muscle weight to his frame. He’s now weighing 254 lbs., appearing slower, and having issues with his conditioning in his fights. The way that Joshua’s weight keeps creeping upwards, we could see him in the 260s before no time. In the history of boxing, there aren’t too many heavyweights that have been able to excel when weighing in the 260s.

There’s no excuses. You don’t have no mandatory,” said Wilder. I’ll be waiting. If you do get a mandatory, pay him to step aside. You’re making a lot of money, right? Let’s get the fight on. Let’s give the people what they want to see. I want to unify the division. Nothing is going to stop me until I get there and do that,” said Wilder.

It would be in Hearn’s best interest to make the Joshua-Wilder fight as soon as possible while Joshua’s weight is still in the 250s. If Hearn waits too much longer, Joshua will likely keep pumping iron and bulk up to the 260s. Joshua is not likely to beat an athletic, fast and powerful Deontay with him being so heavy. As such, the Joshua vs. Wilder fight needs to take place as soon as possible, because things look like they’re quickly getting out of hand with AJ and his body building.

YouTube video