Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has fired back at the recent statements by Deontay Wilder. The two longtime rivals will co-headline a big event on December 23 in Saudi Arabia. Joshua will collide with veteran contender Otto Wallin. And Wilder will take part in a battle of former champions with Joseph Parker. Should Joshua and Wilder win their respective bouts, there is a good possibility of them colliding in the first half of 2024.
Wilder believes Joshua is questioning his own identity because he wasn’t fully made by his own merits. “I worry about every fight he is in. We question Joshua about his identity. Eddie Hearn built Anthony Joshua, he wasn’t born a champion, he was made a champion,” Wilder said. “They did an amazing job of promoting him and getting him to the top. I would’ve been the undisputed heavyweight world champion many years ago if I had the opportunities he was given.” Joshua disagrees with Wilder’s take on the matter. The British star feels he was fast-tracked much quicker than Wilder was.
“Who the f— is he? He’s a boxer, not a psychologist. The boy has had 50 fights and he fought Jason Gavern in his 30-something fight, I probably fought him in my twelfth,” Joshua fired back, according to The Sun. “We are different, my identity is strong. If they’re looking for weaknesses and gaps, then they need to stop looking over here because I’m solid.” Joshua will be taking part in his third fight of the year, after securing victories over Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius. And Wilder is coming back in his first fight in over a year, after last time out scoring a first round knockout over Helenius in October 2022.