By Scott Gilfoid: Anthony Joshua is playing both sides of the fence in wanting to get the winner of the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury rematch to face him in 2020. The two fighters have a contract already signed for a trilogy fight, but Joshua is counting on being able to lure the Wilder-Fury 2 winner to face him for the undisputed championship.
Joshua says he had a meeting with WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs), and he wants to toss “curseball” with an offer to get the American to face him in 2020 if he beats Fury on the 22nd of February.
Given the way that Joshua and his wily promoter Eddie Hearn have tried negotiating with Wilder in the past, I think it’s safe to say that there won’t be a fight between them in 2020. Heck, that match may not even happen in 2021 either for that matter. Joshua is going to take a soft job in Kubrat Pulev next, which is an utterly predictable move for him.
Once Hearn starts talking flat fees and 60-40 splits in favor of Joshua, you can forget Wilder sticking around to listen to that nonsense. He’ll go ahead and take the trilogy fight with Fury, and look to knock him out for the third consecutive time.
Joshua intends on throwing curveball offer to Wilder
“We’ve had meetings with the U6 manager after we had another meeting to put an offer in place to solidify that fight before they’ve even had their fight, and I do my next fight, provided we both win,” said Joshua to Sky Sports News about a fight between him and Wilder. I think for a reason everyone wants Wilder to win is because that’s the fight everyone wants to see. So, Wilder’s got a great right hand.
“I’ve got a great left hand,” said Joshua. “So it’s going to be a great match with a great boxing match, and that’s the one that everyone wants to see. We had a meeting, and it’s a great potential. I heard they have third fight lined up towards the end of the year,” said Joshua about Wilder and Tyson Fury. “But we have to throw a curveball in there to get Wilder’s attention, provided he wins, and he’ll think to himself,” said Joshua about wanting to get the Wilder fight.
“‘You know what? Even though I have the rematch clause, I’m going to see how I can manipulate my contract to get out of it to fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship,'” said Joshua in speculating that Wilder will fight him in 2020.
There’s a very small chance that Joshua and Hearn will be able to lure the Wilder vs. Fury 2 winner away to face him this year. Besides the tight-fisted approach to the negotiations that’ll sink the chances of that happening, there’s also no reason for either of them to stray.
Top Rank Boxing promoter Bob Arum is already speculating that the Wilder-Fury 2 fight brings in over 2 million buys on pay-per-view. Arum has been around long enough to know if a prediction like that is feasible.
AJ not taking Fury’s KO prediction seriously
“That’s the same man that bet on Charles Martin to beat me, and Joseph Parker to beat me,” said Joshua about Fury picking Wilder to stop AJ in the 2nd round. “The first time I listened. The second and third and fourth time he gets it wrong, you start to realize that he’s a bit of a waffler.
“So Tyson Fury is doing what Tyson Fury does,” said Joshua in continuing on Fury’s habit of betting against him. “He even said he spoke to Conor McGregor on the phone, so that was a lie as well. So what can we believe when it comes to Tyson Fury these days?” said Joshua.
Anyone would have seen that Charles Martin had no shot of beating Joshua, and the same with Parker. Fury’s 2nd round knockout prediction for Wilder over Joshua is actually believable. A lot of fans would agree to that, because Joshua’s chin is suspect and his stamina is horrible. The way that Joshua fights now, like he’s the second coming of Wladimir Klitschko, he’s even more vulnerable against Deontay than before.
Fury got one prediction right in saying Andy Ruiz Jr. would beat Joshua, because he sure did that, didn’t he? Joseph Parker might have beaten Joshua too if not for the referee preventing inside fighting.
That was one of the strangest professional fights Gilfoid has ever seen. It’s hard to believe that a referee like that was assigned to the Joshua-Parker fight. Parker had no chance in that fight with the way the referee kept the action on the outside for 12 rounds.
AJ gives reasons why he’s rooting for Fury to beat Wilder
“That’s talk I respect,” said Joshua when told that Fury said he’ll fight him, Wilder and Dillian Whyte before retiring. “That’s boxing. Straight to the point, and that’s what I’m about. The doors are open. So firstly, good luck for your fight in February,” Joshua said in giving a direct message to Fury ahead of his rematch with Wilder.
“Wishing you well. Bring the belts back here, and then imagine having that fight [against Fury] in Tottenham as well,” said Joshua in wishing Fury well in his rematch with Wilder on February 22. “That would be phenomenal. So that’s why I’m supporting for you, because I think, imagine the local kids locally at Tottenham coming to watch the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world at their doorstep.
“How unbelievable that would be. So that’s why I would love it to be here [in the UK]. So good luck to him. I’m wishing him well,” said Joshua about Fury.
For most boxing fans, they just think Joshua wants Fury to beat Wilder because he has no confidence in his own ability to beat the Alabama native. Why else would Joshua be rooting for Fury? There’s less money for Joshua to make fighting Fury than if he were to fight Wilder.
If Joshua doesn’t go back to his old fighting style, he’s going to get destroyed by Wilder.