Deontay Wilder: Anthony Joshua is scared

Deontay Wilder: Anthony Joshua is scared

Deontay Wilder: Anthony Joshua is scared

Deontay Wilder: Anthony Joshua is scared

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Deontay Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) opened on IBF/WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua with both barrels in criticizing him for saying he’s not sure if he’s ready to face him now. Wilder took that to mean that the 27-year-old Joshua is getting cold feet about wanting to fight him.

Wilder, 31, says Joshua is talking about not wanting to fight him until 2010. Wilder sees that as a ploy to try and wait him out until he gets old before he faces him in 3 years from now. Wilder says he won’t be old anytime soon. Wilder says isn’t sure if Joshua is scared or using performance enhancing drugs.

Wilder was obviously counting on getting the Joshua fight so he could get the payday that went with it, as well as the credit from the boxing world for beating the perceived No.1 heavyweight in the division. With Joshua seemingly dragging his feet on the fight, Wilder may need to stay busy for the next 2 to 3 years until Joshua is finally ready to make the fight.

“I just want to know what the hell is going on in the heavyweight division,” said Wilder on his Instagram. “I just woke up to multiple articles where Joshua stated where he’s just not mentally, physically or emotionally ready for me, where it make take up to 2020 before he builds up to the courage to really fight m, basically talking about getting me old. Don’t you know this black don’t crack? I ain’t getting old no time soon, trust me,” said Wilder.

It’s unknown if Joshua is just talking or if he really feels he’s not ready to take the fight with Wilder. If Joshua doesn’t take the fight, then his options for important fights are rather limited right now. There’s only a small handful of heavyweights that are worth Joshua fighting right now. Those are the following guys:

• Deontay Wilder

• David Haye

• Joseph Parker

• Alexander Povetkin

• Hughie Fury

• Tyson Fury

• Bermane Stivern

• Dillian Whyte

• Kubrat Pulev

• Dominic Breazeale

• Jarrell Miller

Of those names, there are really only 3 of them that are good enough to give Joshua a test and that’s Wilder, Whyte and Miller. The remainder of them has too many flaws for them to have a chance of beating Joshua. That is not to say that they couldn’t get lucky and knock Joshua out, but it’s unlikely. Tyson Fury is someone that may never fight again. It’s been 2 years since he last fought, and he still doesn’t have his boxing license to resume his career.

Wilder sounds like he’s been living a terrible nightmare lately. He’s had 3 fights fall crumble before his eyes due to his opponents testing positive for banned substances. The latest opponent that fell out was Cuban Luis Ortiz, who Wilder was supposed to fight on November 4. Ortiz tested positive for a banned drug. He’s now been replaced by Bermane Stiverne for the same date of November 4 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

”Is these guys that scared? I keep telling you guys over and over again,” said Wilder. ”I’m the most feared heavyweight in the division. None of these guys, the best, don’t want their ‘O’ to go. They don’t want to lose their record. [Eddie] Hearns is talking about, he’ll [Joshua] knock me out in 3. Then make the mother [expletive] fight then. It’s either 2 things. Either ya’ll scared or ya’ll doping too; which one is it,” said Wilder.

I don’t think it’s up to Hearn entirely whether the Joshua vs. Wilder fight gets made. Joshua makes up his own mind who he wants to fight, with the help of his training staff. Joshua obviously leans on his trainers to help decide whether he’s right for a certain fighter or not. If they don’t see the 27-year-old Joshua as being ready for the 6’7” Wilder, then the fight is obviously not going to happen.

Just based on how Joshua looked in his last fight against Wladimir Klitschko on April 29, he may not ready for someone like Wilder. Wladimir easily knocked Joshua down in the 6th round in the one and only time in the fight that the Ukrainian heavyweight let his hands go in a meaningful way. Joshua went down quickly when Wladimir opened up on him. Joshua was also very tired in that round. Wladimir could have won the fight if he’d put in an effort to throw some power shots. He didn’t do that and Joshua was able to get out of the round.

Here’s what Wilder had to say about Joshua in his Instragram post:

“Dear Boxing Fans, well there you have it now Anthony Joshua is officially soul searching while he scrolls thru the misty park, basically what I’m saying is that he’s scared as well, but no Mr. Eddie Hearn goes on record and states that Joshua KO’s me within 3rds. You see in the HURT BUSINESS, people on the outside looking in are the ones that DONT HAVE TO FEEL THE PAIN IN THE RING, but are the first to build unnecessary courage then say dumb [expletive], WHY! Because they don’t have to be the poor soul that travels through the jungle and face the 👹. LIKE I SAID…’I’m the most FEARED Heavyweight in the Division.’ Once I became Champ, me and my team have tried for years to get the best out there. People, do your research. I’ve called out all of the so-called majority fans best of the division have to offer, but what really happens when I do that? Well if you don’t know I’ll tell you. They either go another route and Run 🏃, as if they was in a 1984 Freddy Krueger a Nightmare on Elm Street horror film or they becomes a member of Pinky & the Brain, but instead of trying to unify and take over the world they, instead shot stuff in their [expletive] or take it hard through the throat all because of an Alabaman Native that goes by the name of Deontay Wilder.” Given the intense pressure that will be put on him by the British boxing public, Joshua isn’t going to be able to wait too long before he takes the fight with the Bronze Bomber. If push comes to shove, the fight will get done by 2018. There are too many boxing fans that want to see the contest. There’s a lot of money to be made for Joshua in fighting Wilder.

Wilder has to get past Bermane Stiverne on November 4 before he concerns himself with fighters like Joshua. It would be easier on Wilder to put the future out of his mind right now. If Joshua wants the fight with him, it’ll happen when he’s good and ready to make it happen. Wilder is in the B-side position right. Joshua is the Saul Canelo Alvarez of the heavyweight division. The boxing world saw how Canelo waited 2 years for IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin to age before he fought him last month on September 16. It helped Canelo a lot to make the fight more competitive. He still arguably lost the fight, but at least he avoided getting knocked out by Golovkin. Joshua is in the same position as Canelo to force his B-side opponent, Wilder, to wait as long as he feels is necessary before making the fight. Wilder needs to fight the best available heavyweights until the day when Joshua decides he’s ready to face him. Wilder needs to take a mature view of this. You can’t always get what you want in your career. If the Joshua fight never happens, then that’s just how it is.