Joshua and Wilder are both set to fight at the end of the year on one of the biggest nights in boxing’s history. The pair are labeled as co-main event fights despite heavy rumors the duo would come to blows and face each other this year.
Instead, Joshua will take on Sweden’s Otto Wallin, while Wilder will face New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker. And with the pair on the stage, Wilder was asked by host Dev Sahni about his thoughts on facing Joshua in the future.
“It’s good to be in the same room with him, to see him face to face,” Wilder said. “It’s been a long time coming, and I wish you all the best bro.
“Hopefully soon we can get it on in the ring and give the people what they want once and for all, but I wish you nothing but the best, even if it doesn’t happen. But I believe it’s going to happen, I believe it will happen it’s about that time. But even if it don’t I wish you nothing but the best.”
Following the interaction, Joshua was then asked his thoughts on fighting Wilder while speaking with DAZN. “Yeah I do [see us fighting],” Joshua said. “Good luck to him with what he’s doing on December 23rd and I see us fighting 100 percent.”
Wilder and Joshua will head into their fights having won in their previous appearances in the ring. Joshua has fought on two separate occasions this year, enjoying wins against Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius, to maintain his record of 26 professional fights with 23 knockouts and three defeats.
Wilder’s last fight came back in Oct. 2022 when he also fought Helenius. The Bronze Bomber dramatically knocked out his opponent in the first round to make his record boast 43 wins with 42 knockouts, two defeats, and a controversial draw against Tyson Fury.
Both Wilder and Joshua were heavily linked with a fight back in Oct. which Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn revealed nearly came to fruition.
“All I can tell you is we got an approach from Saudi Arabia and Skill Challenge,” Hearn said via FightHype. “We got an offer from them, we accepted the offer, Wilder accepted the offer, and the contracts never came.
“Now, should I have known that? I’ve done two fights with those guys, they were solid every time they said it’s happening, it happened, so in my mind it was done. But things changed out there and I understand that and respect it, so that’s put a spanner in the works.
“So now we’re looking at it, myself and Shelly [Finkel] continue to talk, but we look at Vegas and we look at some people making offers, some people wasting time against out in the Middle East, but we have to explore those options. So all I can tell you is January is definitely not happening.”