DEONTAY WILDER is ready to salvage a fight with Anthony Joshua.
AJ appeared to be heading towards a two-bout deal with Tyson Fury – across the UK and Saudi Arabia – worth huge sums.
But Fury looks to have KOd the fight before it even started by announcing his latest shock retirement.
It would leave Joshua in need of an opponent in the summer – and Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh put forward Wilder’s name.
Sources close to the American confirmed to SunSport that Wilder’s team are on board for talks with Joshua’s camp.
But first the former WBC champion wants a tune-up comeback bout following two consecutive losses – that both cost him a fight with AJ.
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Wilder, 39, returned in December 2023 and was stunned on points by Joseph Parker, 32.
It meant the contract he signed to face Joshua, 35, the following year in 2024 became null and void.
He was given a second chance to redeem the mega-bout last June – only to be knocked out by 41-year-old Zhilei Zhang.
Wilder has since taken time out from the sport but has vowed to fight on – with a comeback set for the first quarter of 2025.
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He is without a win since his 40-second KO of Robert Helenius, 41, in October 2022.
Joshua meanwhile was KOd by Daniel Dubois, 27, in September and opted against an immediate rematch.
Dubois now defends his IBF title on February 22 against Parker while Joshua awaits to see if Fury’s retirement – his fourth now – sticks.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
