By Tim Parsons-
Anthony Joshua’s long awaited fight with Deontey Wilder is off, after an intervention from the WBA insisting on a date for Joshua to meet Povetkin.
Joshua is now set to fight WBA mandatory challenger, Alexander Povetkin,(35-1) after the WBA ordered the Londoner’s team to set a date for the fight. The order comes after extended periods of negotiations that still produced no results in the form of an agreed contract.
Up until last week, the sticky point holding off an agreement for a fight between 28 year old Joshua and 32 year old Wilder was the location of the fight, with both sides insisting on the fight in their backyard. However, Wilder, who holds the important WBC belt, eventually compromised and agreed for the fight to take place in the UK.
Wilder said he had agreed to all the terms presented by Joshua’s team, but Hearns told reporters today that the American and his team simply were delaying signing the contract for the fight to finally go ahead. Wilder has always insisted that Joshua doesn’t want the fight, but not many fans find that easy to believe.
The unbeaten Londoner has knocked out 20 of his 21 opponents and has never shown signs of fear. There should be no reason for Joshua, who knocked out an in shape Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, to be scared of Wilder. Wilder is a heavy puncher himself with 40 knockouts under his belt, but Joshua will have as much reason to believe he would knocl Wilder out, as Wilder would for believing the same against Joshua.
In an expletive-laden tweet, Wilder said: “You’re not a true champion‼️ You’re just a weak minded coward that’s holding hard metal. #Facts.”
He continued: “All they had to do is say they were scared to fight. Period. But instead they made themselves look like what they are, not stand up guys.
“I’m so happy it’s over now I’ve done my part, the world seen that so stay in England.”
WBA president Gilberto Mendoza had granted Joshua an extra month to continue talks for a fight with Wilder, but with a deal yet to be agreed, he has called on AJ to finalise a bout with mandatory challenger PovetkinGilberto Mendoza said:
“Today the WBA requested an answer from Anthony Joshua’s team regarding his fight with the mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin.
“The WBA have allowed over a month extension to negotiations with Povetkin and also ongoing discussions with Deontay Wilder.
“It appears the Wilder team have not returned the contract for the fight and therefore we are requesting a date for the Joshua versus Povetkin fight with immediate effect.”
Russian Povetkin brutally knocked out David Price in the fifth round on the same March bill in which Joshua delivered a controlled and technical performance win against then unbeaten Australian heavyweight Joseph Parker.
WBA Contender: Alexander Povetkin