Former champions will fight for the future – Sport – Kommersant

At the beginning of next year, a fight will take place that will unite the two main losers of world boxing in recent years. The first – Briton Anthony Joshua – was once considered the sole king of the heavy category and owned three belts at the same time, but then suffered a series of two extremely painful defeats from the Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua’s opponent will be American Deontay Wilder, whose impeccable boxing career was spoiled by Tyson Fury who took away his WBC belt. Although there are no titles at stake in this fight, it seems to give both ex-champions the only chance to regain their former image and re-engage in the title race.

The fact that Anthony Joshua can fight with Deontay Wilder in the first half of 2023, the well-known promoter said in an interview with the streaming platform DAZN Eddie Hearn. He did not name the exact date and place of the fight, but clarified that Joshua, his ward, is likely to have a “warm-up” fight first, and will meet with Wilder in the spring – in April or May.

In fact, the boxers once, in the summer of 2018, already tried to agree on a fight, but this happened under completely different circumstances. At that time, Joshua was considered the brightest heavyweight star: he accumulated a remarkable track record of 21 victories in a row and collected three championship titles – according to the International Boxing Federation (IBF), World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO). Another belt – the World Boxing Council (WBC) – belonged to Deontay Wilder, who was also one of the strongest heavyweights on the planet. The boxers intended to fight for the title of absolute division champion, but the WBA intervened, forcing Joshua to fight the mandatory challenger, Russian Alexander Povetkin.

A lot has changed since then. Joshua’s royal status is sensational deprived last fall Oleksandr Usyk.

The Ukrainian boxer won all four significant titles in the first heavyweight (up to 90.7 kg) and then broke into the heavyweight category. In August of this year, Usyk overcame Anthony Joshua in a rematch again, inflicting an even more powerful and painful blow to his reputation along the way. After the loss, the Briton, leaving the ring, threw Usyk’s belts on the floor in anger, and then burst into tears at a press conference. Since then, the British media, which a couple of years ago savored the success of the former champion and called him a world boxing legend, began to call Joshua his main outsider and loser.

The reputation of Deontay Wilder, whose unbeaten streak stretched for 43 fights, was destroyed in the meantime by another Briton, Tyson Fury, in a couple of visits.

For the first time these two boxers faced in December 2018. In that fight, Wilder, who owned the WBC belt, was a 100% favorite, since Fury, shortly before the fight, went through a period full of problems (served a doping ban and faced psychological problems), during which he was not up to boxing. However, the Briton, having been in the end in a deep knockdown, incredibly reached the final gong and achieved a draw. In the re-fight in February 2020, Tyson Fury selected Deontay Wilder won the title by knocking him out in the seventh round. The third fight took place a year ago. He turned out difficult for Fury, but still turned into his early victory in the 11th round.

If this fight actually happens, it will be a great opportunity for both heavyweights, now in the position of underdogs, to return to the elite and connect to the title race.

In September, the promotional company Management Limited, representing Joshua, reportedthat in December he will fight Tyson Fury on the opponent’s terms. But Anthony Joshua, citing a severe mental condition, refused to sign the contract. The Briton explained that he still has not recovered from the defeat from Oleksandr Usyk: “I swear, it tore me apart. Physically, I’m ready to fight even today, but psychologically… The fans don’t realize the pressure.”

Ekaterina Remizova