Anthony Joshua’s chances of facing Deontay Wilder depend on getting a victory over Dillian Whyte.
That is according to Eddie Hearn. Joshua is set to face Whyte on August 12th, 2023, in a rematch of their first encounter in 2015. During the course of that process, ‘AJ’ secured a seventh-round-stoppage win.
This time around, however, the stakes are much higher. The absence of a rematch clause has added the pressure on Joshua, who cannot afford a defeat.
After all, the former unified heavyweight champion had the chance to wait on the sidelines and face Wilder anyway.
However, given that he is still in the early working parts of his relationship with his new trainer, Derrick James, having a fight in the meantime made sense.
However, Joshua must come out on top as Hearn went on to say.
“The finalization of the Wilder fight is on hold until they [SEC] see what happens on August 12 and that’s the risk that we’re in. It’s a big risk [with Joshua facing Whyte], is it the right risk?
“We’ll find out, AJ wanted a real fight, he wasn’t motivated to take a lesser, smaller fight, but the Wilder fight will be dependent on victory at the O2 Arena on August 12,” Hearn
Provided that Joshua comes out victorious, then a fight date between Joshua and Wilder is likely to happen next year. With that being said, everything is on line come fight night.