ANTHONY JOSHUA said a resurged Deontay Wilder is “more than ready” for a super-fight in 2023 and claimed: “It WILL happen now”.
Wilder returned to the ring in emphatic fashion in October, knocking out Robert Helenius in a round.
And it leaves long-time rival Joshua confident in sharing the ring with the American next year.
He said: “I think now, he is on a resurgence. I think he is realising that he has got three years left, so he wants to kind of tick off his hit list.
“Yeah, it will happen now, he’s more than ready now. Why not?”
Joshua, 33, is set to take the rest of the year off following consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, 35, with a return eyed for February or March.
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It came after talks broke down for a December 3 title fight against WBC champion Tyson Fury, 34.
Dillian Whyte, 34, who fights unbeaten Jermaine Franklin, 29, on November 26 now leads the race alongside Wilder, 37, to fight AJ.
Hearn said in Abu Dhabi: “I think the winner of Dillian Whyte against Jermaine Franklin is a very, very good front-runner for the next fight.”
Joshua failed in attempts to secure an undisputed title decider with Wilder in the past, while the pair were undefeated champions.
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But Hearn has recently been in talks with Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel to revive talks and informed AJ of the development.
He revealed: “Definitely. He was one of the names I mentioned to [Joshua] tonight. He just wants to fight everybody.
“It’s just a case of, not an easy fight, but an easier fight, before he goes into a Deontay Wilder or maybe a Dillian Whyte.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
