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Anthony Joshua has three-man shortlist for next fight but fans say ‘only one makes boxing sense’

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Anthony Joshua

ANTHONY JOSHUA has a three-man shortlist for his next fight – but fans only want one name.

AJ was set for a March 9 blockbuster against Deontay Wilder until the American blew the £100million deal by losing to Joseph Parker.

So now Joshua has to turn his attention elsewhere and Eddie Hearn wants him to fight the winner between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

But the promoter also named Filip Hrgovic, Zhilei Zhang and Francis Ngannou as alternatives.

Hearn told iFL TV: “Right now, we have three fights that we’re in discussions for.

“They’re all big and that doesn’t involve Deontay Wilder for March. Our aim, and they’ve expressed this is to fight the winner of Fury-Usyk.

“That’s all we want to do, obviously there’s the Hrgovic fight out there for the world heavyweight title.

“There’s a Francis Ngannou fight out there which would be absolutely colossal.

“There’s other heavyweights as well, there’s a Zhang fight possible as well with Queensberry.”

Fury, 35, and Usyk, 36, are believed to have signed a two-fight deal that could produce a rematch between the pair.

And it would likely mean the winner would lose the IBF title for being unable to face mandatory challenger Hrgovic, 31.

So Joshua and Hearn are looking to capitalise by facing the Croatian for what would be a vacant title.

Meanwhile ex-UFC champion Ngannou crossed over to boxing in October to make his ring debut against Fury.

And he astonishingly dropped the WBC champ but was controversially beaten on points.

Ngannou, 37, has expressed his interest in remaining in boxing with a rematch against Fury and a Joshua fight touted.

And Zhang, 40, is riding high off consecutive stoppage wins over Joe Joyce, 38.

Following Hearn’s three-man shortlist of opponents fans called for the Hrgovic fight.

One said: “If AJ is serious about a legacy and becoming three time world champion, he stays away from the big money, novelty fight against Ngannou. Hrgovic is the only one that makes boxing sense.”

Another added: “It will be Hrgovic for a title.”

 

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Is the ‘Day of Reckoning’ fight card with Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder the greatest boxing event of all time?

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anthony joshua

The ‘Day of Reckoning’ fight card in Saudi Arabia is absolutely loaded with talent, even aside from both Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua competing at the top of the bill.

They will take on Otto Wallin and former champion Joseph Parker, respectively. WBA light heavyweight champion and top 10 pound-for-pound talent Dmitry Bivol is there too, as is arguably the best cruiserweight in the world in Jai Opetaia. Fellow heavyweights Daniel Dubois, Jarrell Miller, Frank Sanchez and Filip Hrgovic all feature.

The quality of names on this fight card is astounding and serves as an early Christmas gift for fight fans across the globe. The chatter surrounding the event is that it’s one of the most loaded boxing shows in the history of the sport.

WATCH: Anthony Joshua vs. Otto Wallin, live on DAZN

Is that true? Maybe.

Due to the watered-down nature of most PPV cards where there’s rarely anything of interest outside of the main and co-main events, ‘Day of Reckoning’ certainly looks like a runaway for one of the best fight cards ever put together.

However, there have been some very solid cards in recent memory that may not have the same depth but had more than enough appeal on the undercard.

Interestingly enough, one of the most ridiculous mismatches in boxing delivered a card full of talented fighters.

Floyd Mayweather’s 2017 showdown with MMA superstar Conor McGregor featured Gervonta “Tank” Davis facing Francisco Fonseca in the co-main event, while Badou Jack squared off with Nathan Cleverly and Yordenis Ugas fought Thomas Dulorme on the prelims. There was also the professional debut of Savannah Marshall to kick off the card.

Mayweather’s clash with Miguel Cotto in 2012 featured an undercard with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez battling Shane Mosley, and also featured future champions Jesse Vargas, Keith Thurman and Omar Figueroa.

For those who enjoy the lighter weights, the first “Superfly” event that featured fights in the super flyweight division was exceptional as Srisaket Sor Rungvisai battled Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in the main event, Naoya Inoue faced Antonio Nieves and Juan Francisco Estrada took on Carlos Cuadras.

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Deontay Wilder confirms date is agreed for Anthony Joshua fight

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Anthony Joshua

Deontay Wilder has confirmed a deal is in place for a huge heavyweight clash with Anthony Joshua.

Wilder and Joshua must overcome Joseph Parker and Otto Wallin respectively this weekend in Saudi Arabia if they are to finally touch gloves in the ring. The rivals have been on a collision course since they held the four world titles between them, but could now meet to determine Tyson Fury’s next challenger.

The fight has reportedly been pencilled in for March 9 in Saudi Arabia, just three weeks after Fury takes on Oleksandr Usyk in their undisputed fight in the Middle East. And Wilder has revealed he is ready to put pen to paper for a fight against Joshua.

Watch all of the biggest upcoming fights including Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin live on DAZN, with some of the best sporting action available as part of your subscription as well as on pay-per-view. DAZN is the only place to watch Joshua as well as the biggest upcoming fights in the Misfits boxing series. You can also follow all of the best action from fights around the world broadcast weekly as part of the package.

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“I’m ready, willing and able to do whatever the Saudis have planned,” he told Instant Casino. “I like what I’ve been hearing and I like the structure. One thing that’s been refreshing working with them is they’ve got the time, they’ve got the dates, they’ve got the locations, and they have configured how much they’re going to pay you, and as a fighter to have a schedule, oh my god that’s a beautiful thing. We don’t ever get time, place and person and this is the money you’re going to receive.

“I don’t see anything stopping this fight happening between me and AJ at this time. I don’t know all the plans that are ahead, but what I’ve seen so far and as of right now, there’s nothing stopping it. The only thing that could potentially stop it is either one of us losing on December 23. That’s the only thing I can see stopping it.

“Other than that, everything else that stopped it happening before like his manager and promoter, I don’t think that problem exists at this moment in time. Everyone is in agreement and was on board last time I spoke with everyone. If and when we both win on December 23, you all can look forward to a great 2024, Wilder versus Joshua.”

But Wilder also warned Joshua he won’t have it all his own way against Wallin on Saturday. “Otto Wallin has got a huge chance to upset the fight,” he added. “Everyone has got a chance, it depends what dog they bring to the fight and how hungry he is on the night, even Parker, he has a great deal of a chance, no matter how hard I hit, or what I possess. He has as much chance as I. Because I still have to perform and bring my training and preparation.”

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Jai Opetaia forced to vacate IBF cruiserweight world title in order to fight on Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder undercard

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Anthony Joshua

Jai Opetaia has vacated his IBF cruiserweight world title after being left with little option by the sanctioning body’s strict rules.

The Australian boxer shot to stardom in July 2022 as he shocked well-established world champion Mairis Briedis and dethroned him in a thrilling fight.

Opetaia suffered a serious broken jaw injury in the victory, which kept him sidelined for the remainder of last year.

When he was finally ready to return in 2023, the IBF ordered him to defend his belt against British contender Richard Riakporhe.

However, after an almost two-month long process of failed negotiations, Riakporhe pulled out on the day of purse bids.

This meant that the IBF had to assign a new mandatory challenger for Opetaia in August.

Next in the rankings was Briedis, and so a rematch was then ordered between the pair.

While negotiations began, the IBF sanctioned a voluntary defence for Opetaia which saw him ruthlessly knock out Jordan Thompson in September.

Anthony-Joshua 2

Now, a deal is in place for the Opetaia vs Briedis rematch to take place in 2024, but the champion wanted to stay active with another voluntary defence against Ellis Zorro beforehand.

Opetaia was offered ‘life-changing money’ for a two-fight deal to box in Saudi Arabia and was offered a slot on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin and Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker ‘Day of Reckoning’ event.

However, the IBF ruled that they would not allow permission for a second voluntary defence before the overdue mandatory and rejected the Zorro fight.

This is despite the fact that Briedis’ camp did not object to it.

As a result, Opetaia was left with an ultimatum – pull out of the fight against Zorro or be stripped of his IBF cruiserweight world title.

The Australian has chosen to jump before being pushed and now vacated the belt of his own accord in order to accept the Saudi deal.

He still has the prestigious Ring Magazine belt, but has lost his world title.

Anthony joshua and Deontay

A statement from Opetaia’s team read: “IBF world cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia has decided to vacate his world title belt. The move comes before his scheduled December 23 bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia against Britain’s Ellis Zorro.

“With mandatory contender Mairis Briedis currently unavailable due to injury, Opetaia’s team were hopeful that they would be able to defend the belt against Zorro.

“However, the IBF declared that Briedis must be Opetaia’s next opponent, despite the fact Briedis’ team had also agreed to step aside to let the Zorro bout take place while the former champion recovers and a deal in place to face Opetaia in February.

 

“An appeal was sent to the IBF on behalf of Matchroom, Tasman Fighters, Queensberry Promotions and Wasserman Boxing, outlining that all parties involved were prepared to accommodate the proposed fight with Zorro but this was denied.”

Opetaia said: “‘I fought through absolute agony to win that belt and it saddens me to relinquish it.

“But the fact is, Briedis isn’t ready to fight on December 23 and I need to stay active. I simply can’t turn down a career high payday. Belts should be won and lost in the ring and I’m still the Ring Magazine champion and all roads in the cruiserweight division go through me,” he continued.

“I am the true king of the cruiserweight division and I’ll be defending that prestigious Ring Magazine title on December 23. I look forward to getting that IBF belt back as soon as possible and adding all of them, one by one.”

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Report: Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder set March date for big fight

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REPORTS have claimed that former heavyweight boxing champions Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder have an agreement to fight each other at last.

The long-awaited clash is tentatively scheduled for March 9, 2024, according to ESPN.

The stars have been close to a big fight for several years, and will both be in action on the same night in separate bouts in Saudi Arabia this month.

Nigerian-Briton Joshua, a two-time World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation champion, is set to square off with Otto Wallin, whilst American former World Boxing Council champion Wilder will battle New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, both on December 23.

According to American network ESPN, Wilder and Joshua will return to Saudi Arabia three months after the ‘Day of Reckoning’ for a showdown much like the eagerly-anticipated meeting between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, which is scheduled for February 17.

Wilder, 38, recently claimed that the 34-year-old Joshua’s team has manipulated attendances over the years to make their fighter appear more popular.

“I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again, it’s a difference between champions being born and being made,” Wilder said.

“Joshua was made, he was a made fighter. They bought things, they gave him things. Even with certain things, with the arena. ‘Oh, they sold this’. No, you didn’t sell out nothing. You comped tickets and you resold them.

‘I know how the whole game works. I’m behind scenes. I know how things work. You wanted it to seem like it sold out, you put your tickets out there, and you build your own little ticket thing and you buy all your tickets.

“Now it seems like you sold out the arena. What you do? All you do is put it back on the market and resell it.

“It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book, when it comes to the business and now people on the outside looking in, ‘Oh my God, they sold out faster than Michael f****ng Jackson’. Are you serious? That’s how it is. That’s how the trick is done.”

Wilder previously claimed that he had offered Joshua’s camp £40 million, and accused his rival’s representatives of ‘holding him back’, resulting in the fight never taking place.

“Many times he wanted to fight, he wanted to accept it but his handlers didn’t want it because Joshua is the money-maker for the company,” Wilder told Mail Sport. “And if he goes down, so does the business.”

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn denied the claims, admitting that Wilder’s camp had made the offer in a bid to get the fight made, but had failed to send a contract.

The Nigerian, who won super heavyweight boxing gold medal for Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics, has a professional record of 29 fights, with 26 victories (23 via knockout) and three losses.

Wilder, a heavyweight boxing bronze medallist at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, has fought 46 times as a professional, winning 43 (42 via knockout), losing two and drawing one.

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“I’ve Never Seen Someone Win”: Anthony Joshua Responds to Deontay Wilder’s “Weak Mentality” Jab Ahead of Saudi Arabia Fight

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anthony joshua

Deontay Wilder is bent on fighting Anthony Joshua. However, Wilder doubts if ‘AJ’ will ultimately meet ‘The Bronze Bomber’ in the ring. As a result of late, Wilder accused Joshua of possessing a weak mentality. However, he also hoped the former Unified Heavyweight champion would let go of this mentality and face Wilder after the Otto Wallin fight.

On the occasion of the December 23 fight against Wallin, Fight Hub TV interviewed Anthony Joshua. In this interview, he responded to Wilder with a jab.

Punches over mentality: Anthony Joshua takes a slight dig at Deontay Wilder

Speaking to Fight Hub TV, ahead of the fight against Otto Wallin, Anthony Joshua declared that punching power should be prioritized over mentality. In his opinion, once inside the ring, the ability to throw and land effective punches determines whether or not one will succeed. Likewise, confident in his skills, ‘AJ’ took a slight dig at Wilder, who found the former “mentally weak”.

Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder

“I’ve never seen someone win a fight by mental games. The way you win a fight is by punching someone more times or by punching someone harder than the other person,” ‘AJ’ told Fight Hub TV.

“At the end of the day, what can I say? It’s his [Deontay Wilder’s] point of view. But at the end of the day, the one who throws more punches or lands the harder punches will win not the one who has an opinion about someone’s mentality,” he added with conviction. In this context, speaking about his mentality regarding the upcoming fight, ‘AJ’ declared he wanted to close the year with a third win in 2023.

End with a ‘bang’: Joshua hopes to deliver a spectacular performance against Otto Wallin

Despite calling Joshua mentally weak, Wilder declared Anthony Joshua would likely win against Otto Wallin. On that note, Joshua found himself on the same as ‘The Bronze Bomber’. “I want to close the year off with a high. So, another challenge isn’t it? I’m climbing higher heights again. I’m getting hungrier. Just want to be victorious if I’m honest with you,” stated Joshua.

“I’m focused [and] I’m locked in. This year’s been full of dedication. All gas, no breaks. I want to end it with a bang, to be honest,” he concluded. With that said, do you believe Joshua will defeat Wallin? Also, do wish to see Wilder vs. ‘AJ’? Let us know in the comments below.

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The Independent’s pound-for-pound boxing rankings

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Olek and Tyson And Anthony

The boxing landscape is arguably as intriguing as it has ever been.

The past several years have seen heavyweight epics for the ages between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, they have seen Saul “Canelo” Alvarez establish himself as the face of the sport in the eyes of many fans, and they have seen frequent displays of technical brilliance from champions in lighter weight classes.

There have been upsets, title unifications, and there has been no shortage of drama – Anthony Joshua’s post-fight rant after a second loss to Oleksandr Usyk stands out as a prime example.

While there is no exact science to putting together lists such as this, a number of factors have been considered in making the rankings, including each fighter’s overall record, recent record, level of activity and calibre of opposition.

shakur

The Independent’s pound-for-pound rankings

10. Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs)

The American, 26, was already a two-weight world champion by the time he was 24. Now Stevenson is a rising force at lightweight, as he looks to build upon his significant success at featherweight – where he was WBO champion – and super-featherweight, where he was unified champion. In his most recent fight, in November, Stevenson won an admittedly dull contest with Edwin De Los Santos, but that kept him unbeaten and saw him win the WBC interim lightweight title, which has been upgraded since Devin Haney vacated his undisputed belts. Clashes with Gervonta Davis (who narrowly misses out on this list), Ryan Garcia and Haney are alluring prospects. So is a fight with the next man in these rankings…

9. Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs)

The Ukrainian southpaw (one of two on this list…) saw off Jorge Linares in 2018 to become a three-weight title holder, before adding further belts with notable wins against the likes of Luke Campbell and Jose Pedraza. “Loma” was somewhat surprisingly beaten by Teofimo Lopez in 2020, but the 35-year-old bounced back with three straight wins to maintain his status as one of the best boxers in the world. The two-time Olympic champion is in the twilight of his career now, which only made his terrific showing against No 7 on this list even more impressive. Lomachenko came up narrowly short, but many observers felt that he had won.

8. Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs)

Tyson Fury

Has eclipsed Anthony Joshua as the household name in British boxing. Fury, 35, returned to the sport in 2018 after three years off due to a struggle with his mental health. Since then, he has established himself as one of his generation’s best heavyweights, dethroning Deontay Wilder to become WBC champion in the pair’s 2020 rematch, having controversially drawn with the American in their first clash, in 2018.

In October 2021, Fury stopped Wilder for the second fight in a row to retain the belt, which he did again in April 2022 by knocking out Dillian Whyte with ease and once more in December with a late stoppage of Derek Chisora. A creative fighter who has demonstrated resilience and heart in the ring, Fury previously held the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO titles and will look to regain them in a fight with Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.

However, that bout – to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years – was almost derailed when Fury was knocked down by Francis Ngannou in October, before the “Gypsy King” scraped his way to a controversial decision over the MMA star. The image of Fury on the canvas in that fight will be attached to his career forever, having damaged his reputation and seen him drop a number of spots in this list.

7. Errol Spence Jr (28-1, 22 KOs)

Errol Spence

The American has not been the most active fighter in recent years, but he slowly built a fine resume as one of the top welterweights of this generation. Spence Jr holds impressive wins against the likes of Shawn Porter, Mikey Garcia, Danny Garcia and Carlos Ocampo. The southpaw stopped the latter, as well as notably finishing Kell Brook on the Briton’s home turf earlier in his career, and a cancelled clash with Manny Pacquiao would surely have built up Spence even further had it come to fruition.

6. Dmitry Bivol (21-0, 11 KOs)

In July, the 33-year-old finally faced Terence Crawford in a clash five years in the making

Entered our list in May 2022, following his stunning victory over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The Russian remained unbeaten and retained the WBA light-heavyweight title with that result, which he achieved by fighting on the front foot, picking his shots wisely, and almost doubling the output of his opponent. Bivol, 32, won by two points on all three judges’ scorecards, though the margins should have been much wider. A clinical showing that raised the Russian’s profile immensely and likely sets up a rematch with Canelo down the line. Before that, though, Bivol was tasked with getting past the unbeaten Gilberto Ramirez in November. Bivol won on points with an aggressive and sharp performance, which saw him a few spots here. Next up for him? Lyndon Arthur on 23 December.

5. Devin Haney (31-0, 15 knockouts)

, where he put his unified titles on the line against the WBO champion. Crawford left Las Vegas with all the belts after stopping Spence in Round 9, in a fight that was nowhere near as close as fans expected. As a result, Crawford climbed this list, while Spence dropped from No 5.

The unbeaten American entered our list following his second straight clinic against George Kambosos Jr. Haney eased to a unanimous-decision win against the Australian on Kambosos’ home turf in June 2022 to become undisputed champion at lightweight, before retaining that status in the pair’s rematch in October – also in Melbourne. The 25-year-old then edged past Lomachenko with a close decision win in May, before vacating the undisputed belts in December. That move came ahead of his fight with Regis Prograis, in which Haney dropped his compatriot and won every round to take the WBC super-lightweight belt – making Haney a two-weight world champion.

4. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs)

In the 10 years since his loss to Floyd Mayweather, the Mexican has established himself as the face of boxing, with wins against Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Gennadiy Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs, Billy Joe Saunders, Jermell Charlo and many more. The effectiveness of the 33-year-old’s counter-punching, slickness of his head movement and beauty of his body work make him a joy to watch.

Detractors will point to Alvarez’s clenbuterol controversy in 2018 and the fact that a few of his victories have come via controversial scorecards. Supporters will give more credence to Canelo’s admirable level of activity and the great number of formidable foes he has faced. His three victories in 2021 – all stoppages – saw him become boxing’s first ever undisputed super-middleweight champion. A title holder in four weight classes, the Mexican failed to add a second light-heavyweight belt to his collection when he was outpointed by unbeaten Russian Bivol in May 2022.

That result marked just the second defeat of Canelo’s professional career and saw him drop from No 1 in our list. He rebounded with a decisive points win against ageing rival Golovkin, though that result proved little at this point. The ambitious Mexican then defended his super-middleweight belts against John Ryder in Guadalajara, dropping the Briton en route to a decision win. Next up for Canelo was the younger Charlo twin in September, when Alvarez again scored a knockdown and won on points to retain his gold.

3. Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs)

An Olympic gold medalist who reigned as the only undisputed cruiserweight champion of the four-belt era before moving up to heavyweight, where he became WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO champion in 2021 by outpointing Anthony Joshua with relative ease. The Ukrainian, 36, then beat Joshua on points again to retain his titles and stay unbeaten. In August, the southpaw stopped Daniel Dubois after recovering from a controversial ‘low blow’, again demonstrating that he is as technical and awkward as they come in the heavier weight classes. That makes his upcoming clash with Fury an intriguing prospect.

2. Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs)

The unified welterweight champion has one of the most impressive resumes in the sport, and it just keeps getting better. Five of the American’s last 11 opponents were undefeated before facing him, and all 11 were stopped by Crawford – who has a tremendous knockout ratio. Wins against big-name boxers Brook and Porter in 2020 and 2021 further enhanced the 35-year-old’s profile, especially his victory over the latter, before Crawford stopped David Avanesyan in December 2022.

Then, in July, he schooled Errol Spence Jr in what was widely billed as the fight of the decade, delivering a masterclass to expose a bigger gap between the Americans than anyone had predicted. In beating Spence in Round 9 after scoring three knockdowns, Crawford took his rival’s three titles to become undisputed. The victory also made “Bud” the first man in boxing history to become undisputed champion in two weight classes, following his brief reign atop the super-lightweight division in 2017. He has since been stripped of his IBF welterweight title ahead of a planned rematch with Spence, so is technically not undisputed anymore, but that feels like a harsh mark against him.

It is also worth saying there is almost nothing between Crawford and the final name on this list…

1. Naoya Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs)

One of the lesser-known names on this list to the more casual fan, the Japanese does not lack in prowess what he may lack in profile. Inoue has the best stoppage percentage of any fighter on this list, part of what makes him such an exciting athlete to watch – along with his effortless evasiveness, brutal body attacks, and frightening level of output.

The 30-year-old stopped Paul Butler in December 2022 to become undisputed bantamweight champion – and the first Asian boxer to hold four world titles in a weight class at once – having previously held gold at light-flyweight and super-flyweight. However, he vacated his bantamweight belts in January to move up and challenge Stephen Fulton.

In July, Inoue took Fulton apart to hand the American his first pro loss and take his WBC and WBO super-bantamweight titles. As a result, the “Monster” became a four-weight world champion and further vindicated his No 1 spot here.

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Francis Ngannou open to Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua fights in boxing or mixed rules: ‘I’m the one that can go everywhere’

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Francis Nnganou

Francis Ngannou still wants the biggest challenges available to him, but he understands when it comes to potential opponents like Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua that he will either have to face them in boxing or concede to mixed rules to make it a fair fight.

While he prefers a rematch with heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury more than anything else, Ngannou has other options available to him after nearly pulling off the upset of the century in his professional boxing debut. Despite losing a split decision to Fury in October, Ngannou suddenly became an attractive opponent for a lot of top-ranked boxers including Joshua, who promised to knock out the former UFC champ if they ever meet.

“Even Tyson Fury said the same thing and Tyson Fury is better than Anthony Joshua,” Ngannou said in response while speaking on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast. “What do I care about what people say?

“I’ve been in this game for so long. I’ve seen so much. I’ve heard so much what people intend to do. There’s a difference between wanting to do and be able to do.”

Anthony and Francis

If Joshua wants to fight, Ngannou has no problem accepting that challenge, although he expects that it’d have to be in a boxing match because the 2012 Olympic gold medalist wouldn’t have a hope if they actually competed against one another in MMA.

Ngannou says that’s ultimately what separates him from the best boxers in the world — he can set foot in their ring and give them everything they can handle, but there’s no chance anyone from boxing could actually have a realistic chance against him in MMA.

“Anything that he wants. Ring or octagon,” Ngannou said of Joshua. “The good thing is I’m the one that can go everywhere comfortably. My comfort zone will be the octagon, but I’m going to the ring and putting them in a bad spot in the ring.

“Because I have my territory [in MMA] where they cannot mess with me. If they come, they will need something like some favor, like, ‘I’ll give you this, we’ll take kicks out.’ I have to give him something. But when we step in the ring, they don’t give me anything and I still get them in trouble.”

The same goes for Wilder, although Ngannou has more faith in him than Joshua when it comes to the potential to give somebody trouble in MMA.

Francis And Tyson

Wilder, who faces Joseph Parker on the same card as Joshua in December, has shown interest in potentially crossing over to MMA previously. PFL co-founder Donn Davis even teased Wilder vs. Ngannou as a mixed-rules fight that could possibly happen in 2024.

“Let’s say he’s not fighting me, he’s fighting somebody else,” Ngannou said of Wilder in MMA. “I look at the profile of that fighter, I put my money on Deontay. Basically, even just as a boxer, basically now that he’s really intent on doing MMA and [he’s] training, I’d put money on him.

“Because he just needs to cut somebody to land a punch. It could also be a mixed rules [fight]. We were thinking of mixed rules. Because honestly it’s going to be too hard for him if it’s not mixed rules.”

Ngannou believes Wilder is a realistic opponent in boxing or MMA, but he’s still awaiting word on who will end up as his next opponent.

“Even before this Tyson fight, we were talking with [Deontay Wilder],” Ngannou said. “He’s also willing to fight me in MMA. For real.”

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Deontay Wilder Identifies ‘Major Factor’ That Could See Usyk Beat Tyson Fury

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tyson fury and oleksandr usyk

Deontay Wilder is one of two men to have fought Tyson Fury three times. It goes without saying then that he’s one of the best-placed to analyse the Brit’s upcoming fight against Oleksandr Usyk.

The two heavyweight champions will come to blows on February 17 in Saudi Arabia, the winner leaving the ring as the first undisputed titlist in the division since Lennox Lewis.

Fury secured his WBC belt back in 2020 following a draw in the first bout with Wilder. He would beat him once more in 2021 to move ahead and look to compete for the other major belts.

Now that he has the opportunity to do so against unified champ Usyk, Wilder doesn’t make him the favourite. The American KO artist told Instant Casino that it was a pick’em fight, but Usyk’s speed could swing it.

tyson fury and oleksandr usyk

“It’s a 50-50 fight, anything can happen. People look at Fury’s size as a major advantage but that doesn’t necessarily mean nothing because Usyk can stay low to the ground and because Fury’s so tall it’s going to be difficult to reach down. If Usyk can get in and out real fast, I feel speed could be a major factor.”

Most of all, Wilder just wants to fight the winner and become undisputed himself.

“For me it’s 50-50 and I’m glad it’s finally happening so we get all the belts in one place. That’s going to make it easier for me to fight for the unification of those belts, so I won’t have to fight different champions and have champions running away because of what he’s seen me do to the last opponent.”

Fury and Usyk have a rematch clause, so Wilder will have to keep winning between now and then to earn his shot. Next up is Joseph Parker on December 23, potentially followed by Anthony Joshua in 2024 should he also win on the card.

 

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Froch: Deontay Wilder Knocks Anthony Joshua Spark Out in One Round

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Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshau

Former super middleweight champion Carl Froch is backing Deontay Wilder to blast out Anthony Joshua in a single round.

The two former world champions will appear on the same card on December 23rd in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua will appear in the main event against top contender Otto Wallin, while Wilder will face former champion Joseph Parker in the co-main.

DEONTAY WILDER And Anthony Joshua

Former super middleweight champion Carl Froch is backing Deontay Wilder to blast out Anthony Joshua in a single round.

The two former world champions will appear on the same card on December 23rd in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua will appear in the main event against top contender Otto Wallin, while Wilder will face former champion Joseph Parker in the co-main.

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