The surprise defeat to Zhilei Zhang last week may have drained the last bit of energy from ‘The Bronze Bomber’. The fourth career loss has inevitably sparked talk of an impending retirement for one of boxing’s most entertaining heavyweights. Uncertainty remains over the 38-year-old former world champion’s final decision. Discussions and debates over whether Deontay Wilder should hang up his gloves for good might continue for some time.

However, that hasn’t prevented a few enthusiastic souls from making speculations. Whether Wilder, in his prime, would have fared well against one of Britain’s biggest draws, Anthony Joshua? It didn’t take much time before a great number of fans jumped in the gray. Expectedly, the question prompted a divergence of opinions.

A smashing bomber or buzzed-off bomber? 

“Prime Deontay Wilder vs. Prime Anthony Joshua, who would have won if they fought in 2020?” Wrote Boxing Kingdom. Some fans might remember. Right after their first fight, both Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury called out Anthony Joshua. Later, following their rematch in 2020, Wilder claimed that he was offered a big payday to fight ‘AJ’. However, he settled to fight Fury again.

Since then, it’s been a series of shadowboxing from the opposite ends of the pond. But the fight between two of modern boxing’s biggest names never materialized. It could be said that those who suffered the loss were teeming fans. They wanted to see boxing’s deadliest hitter square up against one of the most recognizable faces of boxing, with a pedigreed legacy.

Probably, the fantasy line-up appears to have gained poignancy following Deontay Wilder’s consecutive setbacks. Returning to the ring after a year-long break, he suffered his third defeat at the hands of Joseph Parker on the ‘Day of Reckoning’. Many hoped, as a heavy favorite, he would turn the tables on Zhilei Zhang. But as the legendary Teddy Atlas, while sharing his views on the June 1 fight, revealed, “technique finally caught up with him.”

Fans suggest that one needs to pick his fights

From the reactions, it became clear who most of the fans expected to win. But still, the majority couldn’t put down the voices of a few spirited ones. They joined, expressing their faith in their icon.

According to this user, a prime Anthony Joshua would have beaten Deontay Wilder. Even when he was in form, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ barely faced any formidable opponent.

The next user believes that despite Deontay Wilder’s size and the legendary right hand that packed up many a career, ‘AJ’ would have humiliated him easily.

According to this follower,  even an in-form Deontay Wilder would have found it difficult to withstand an average Anthony Joshua’s onslaught. Even other top-ranking heavyweights would have been too much for him to handle.

But this user feels that Wilder’s notorious punch, when he was in his prime, would have made a lot of difference. Power can change the course of a fight in a jiffy, they stressed.

Then this follower also has a firm opinion that a prime Wilder would have defeated ‘AJ’ since he was daring and vicious in the ring.

Probably more than the reverses, or for that matter, his age, what concerns most appears to be the purported lack of boxing fundamentals in Deontay Wilder. Resultingly, he had to rely on his most potent weapon, the straight right, which wound up so many heads in the early rounds.

However, such a tendency comes with inherent weaknesses. Especially as many fans highlighted. It fails when the opposition is tough and unrelenting. Anthony Joshua may not be as technically fluent or sound as Oleksandr Usyk. But, given his amateur experience and Olympic performance, he more than makes up for the deficiencies by sticking to rudiments. Then, unlike many, he boasts size and the power to back it up.

Between Wilder and Joshua, who would be your pick for the win if a match had taken place between the two?