The caveat is all that really matters.
For the better part of five or six years, a showdown between 34-year old two-time former IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KO) and 38-year old former WBC titlist Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KO) has been there.
As an option.
As a possibility.
As something to talk about.
And, to now, as a fantasy fight.
There was a time, a narrow window, where a Joshua-Wilder unification would have presented boxing with something rare and special. After Wilder’s 2017 rematch win over Bermane Stiverne, and Joshua’s victory over Carlos Takam, the two men with all the major belts in the division were undefeated with at least one knockout victory over every professional they’d faced.
The window closed in Joshua’s very next fight with a decision win over then-WBO titlist Joseph Parker.
To this day, Stiverne is still Wilder’s only decision win. Joshua has added two more, along with three losses. Wilder has lost twice, both to the best heavyweight of their generation in Tyson Fury.
Despite that, the allure of a fight between the two biggest knockout artists of their era remains. People wanted to see it then and they want to see it now. Punchers duels never really grow stale and both are still superstars around the world.
What’s not to like?
This Saturday (DAZN/PPV, 11 AM EST), we are theoretically one card away from the showdown. According to numerous reports, it’s really simple. If Joshua and Wilder win, they fight on March 9. There is reportedly a two-fight agreement meaning we could see it twice in 2024.
If.
If is a hell of a word.
The heavyweight division has dealt with if before.
Many fans remember the failure to make Riddick Bowe-Lennox Lewis in the 1990s, notably immediately after Bowe defeated Evander Holyfield in 1992 for the undisputed title. What often is forgotten is how close they came to fighting in 1994. Reports at the time had them on course for a showdown if Lewis successfully defended the WBC belt Bowe sent him via trash bucket against Oliver McCall.
If.
Both Wilder and Joshua have to blow past “if” to make things “when” this weekend. Are there any chances of a stumble?
Wilder will be facing the aforementioned 31-year old Parker (33-3, 23 KO) to hold up his end of the bargain. There was a time when Parker was considered by many to be a brighter young light in the division than Wilder but that faded quickly as Wilder kept stacking bodies and Parker’s competition got stiffer. Parker has won three in a row since a violent knockout loss, his only such defeat, against Joe Joyce in 2022.
Wilder hits a lot harder, and faster, than Joyce. That said, Parker is in a desperate position, has some power and speed, and this is heavyweight boxing. If we get the Parker who went through hell with Joyce and nearly came back to stop Dillian Whyte after being dropped, if Parker can land something early to make it a fight, anything can happen.
Wilder should win. It doesn’t mean he will. This isn’t a no-risk proposition.
Joshua has a different challenge in front of him. In two fights with Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua couldn’t solve the technically sound southpaw. The 33-year old Wallin (26-1, 14 KO) is no Usyk in terms of skill but he is a cagey southpaw who gave Tyson Fury fits and stands almost 6’6. When he was coming up the ranks, Joshua was an aggressive fighter who looked for knockouts but that has faded over time.
Joshua sometimes doesn’t quite seem to know who he is in the ring. In his last fight against Robert Helenius, he reminded the world of what happens when he lands big but he knows he can be hurt, learning it on a razor’s edge against Wladimir Klitschko and in shocking and finishing fashion in the first fight with Andy Ruiz.
A tentative Joshua against Wallin could be a defeated one. Between him and Wilder, the risk factor may be higher for Joshua.
The boxing world still wants to see Wilder-Joshua. The funny thing is, even if one or both lost this weekend, they still would. It’s just less likely folks will get what they want if both men don’t see hands raised this weekend.
There’s a big fight ahead in March.
If.
Cliff’s Notes…
It’s hard not to love the card this Saturday even if there isn’t one fight that stands out from the crowd. The event is the main event and at $39.99 on cable pay-per-view it’s quite a bargain. Joshua, Wilder, Dmitry Bivol, Jai Opetaia, and Filip Hrgovic all on the same card? That’s a pretty good day. Enjoy the show and Merry Christmas to all the readers out there.
By Cliff Rold