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American heavyweight boxer, Deontay Wilder, has stressed that Nigerian-born British boxer, Anthony Joshua has “lost the respect he once had”.
Deontay Wilder’s comment is seen as an attack on the personality of Anthony Joshua ahead of a potential bout between the two former world champions.
Before they both clash in the ring, Wilder and Joshua will fight separate boxers on the same day, December 23, in Saudi Arabia.
If they both win their respective bouts this December, they are likely to meet in 2024 for the first time in their illustrious boxing careers.
Joshua will attempt to conquer Otto Wallin to continue with his march to another world title, while Wilder takes on the seasoned Joseph Parker.
Ahead of the bout, 38-year-old Wilder believes Joshua’s back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk had tarnished AJ’s reputation.
After his bruising defeats to the Ukrainian, Joshua bounced back with wins against Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius. Despite those recent wins, Wilder doesn’t think the 34-year-old boxer has regained his respect in the boxing world yet.
Referring to comments attributed to American boxer Jarrell Miller belittling Joshua, Wilder told Instant Casino that everyone believes AJ is beatable.
He said: “At the press conference, I didn’t need to say much about Anthony Joshua. Everyone, especially Jarrell Miller, had already said plenty.
“Even though I’m not a fan of Miller, he hit the nail on the head about Joshua. With him saying that there was no need for me to add anything.
“It felt like a bunch of guys were already targeting him. AJ seems to have lost the respect he once had.
“Now, with a few losses under his belt, everyone sees him as beatable and doesn’t hesitate to talk smack. That must be tough for him, going from widely respected to this. When I’m around him, I sense it.”
On the possibility of fighting Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder added: “As of now, I don’t see anything preventing our fight with AJ. The only thing that might derail it is if either of us loses on December 23.
“But all the previous issues, like disagreements with his manager and promoter, don’t seem to be a problem anymore.
“Everyone seems on the same page. If we both win on December 23, everyone can look forward to an exciting 2024 with Wilder vs. Joshua.”
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