Deontay Wilder has signaled his interest in a potential showdown with Anthony Joshua following his points win over Derek Chisora, telling the British former champion, “let’s do it.”
Joshua, a two-time world heavyweight titleholder, was present at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday to support his friend Chisora, in what many believe may have been the veteran fighter’s final professional bout.
The 36-year-old Joshua has kept a low profile in recent months after surviving a car crash in Nigeria on 29 December that tragically claimed the lives of two of his friends, Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele. Joshua himself sustained minor injuries in the accident.
Prior to the crash, Joshua had last stepped into the ring on 19 December, stopping YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in the sixth round. That victory brought his professional record to 29 wins and four losses and saw him declare readiness to face long-time rival Tyson Fury next. Fury, who had been in retirement, announced in January his return to face Arslanbek Makhmudov in the UK on 11 April.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, told DAZN ahead of Wilder’s fight: “We’ve been very focused on making the Tyson Fury fight. But AJ mentioned to me yesterday that if Deontay Wilder wins convincingly tonight, it could open the door to a big fight with Anthony Joshua as well.”
During Saturday’s event, Wilder, 40, approached Joshua, exchanged a fist bump, and declared, “let’s do it,” before muttering, “He’s scared” as he walked away. Addressing the moment later, Wilder said: “I just dapped him up and said, ‘Now let’s get it on.’ I’m ready for anyone in the heavyweight division. You can call me Mr. Clean, because I want to clean up the whole division. The division is nothing without Deontay Wilder.”
The fight against Chisora ended in a split decision for Wilder, with two judges scoring it 115–111 and 115–113 in his favor, while one judge had it 115–112 for Chisora. This marked Wilder’s 45th win in 50 professional bouts, though his performances have waned since his trilogy with Fury. After drawing in their first meeting in 2018, Wilder lost his WBC heavyweight title in the 2020 rematch and again in the third fight.
Plans for a Joshua-Wilder bout in 2024 were derailed after Wilder suffered an unexpected loss to Joseph Parker. Reflecting on the post-fight encounter with Joshua, Hearn told Fight Hub TV: “He said ‘let’s do it.’ AJ stared ice-cold, but there’s no doubt he would fight him if it happens.”
