Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder have been on a collision course to fight but are still yet to meet in the ring as of yet.
A few years ago Joshua and Wilder were respective rulers of the heavyweight division with Wilder terrorising opponents with devastating knockouts.
It was around then Joshua’s rise was well underway with an emphatic knockout out of Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium.
The pair were set to fight early last year after they featured on the same bill in December 2023.
However, their clash didn’t materialise with Wilder slipping up against a hungry Joseph Parker who outpointed him comfortably.
Since losses to Parker and Zhang, Wilder looked set to retire but heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua spoke to BoxNation encouraging him to continue.
“Nah, he’s still dangerous, there’s a lot he can do.
“If he gets too caught up in life outside of boxing, he’ll retire. If you listen to everyone’s opinion, it will start swaying your intuition.
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“If he wants to fight… in short, I don’t think he should [retire], but I don’t think he should listen to everyone’s opinion.”
‘The Bronze Bomber’ returns to action on Friday in what should be a routine showing against (24,5) Tyrell Herndon in Wichita, Kansas, live on BLK Prime.
For Joshua, he is on the lookout for an opponent ready for his return later in the year, after having an extended period out of the ring following defeat to Daniel Dubois in September.
The 35-year-old underwent elbow surgery, according to his promoter, Eddie Hearn.
Wilder vs ‘AJ’ could be closer than ever if the Alabama man can get through his test this weekend.
Despite being years past its sell-by date, Joshua vs Wilder remains a spectacle and brilliant test to see which man is more likely to have a shot at the world stage for one last time.
