“Who the F**K Is He”: Anthony Joshua Lashes Out at Deontay Wilder for Making Loss of Identity Remarks

The 7-year-long rivalry between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder is getting heated. In recent developments, Joshua lashed out vehemently at Wilder for comments the latter made at his identity. While their fight remains on the horizon for early next year, they have relentlessly made efforts to one-up the other, and this recent flare-up is one such effort.

In November 2017, AJ’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, and Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, came together to decide details of a possible unification of titles fight between their fighters. However, AJ’s mandatory WBA defense against Alexander Povetkin obstructed the fight. While the AJ-Wilder unification fight would have superseded Povetkin’s mandatory challenge, a negotiation between Finkel and AJ’s team fell through. From then began the 7-year-long oscillation between them. Today, when the fight seems to come to its terms, hostile tremors still make their presence.

Anthony Joshua comes down heavy at Wilder

Earlier, Wilder took some serious verbal jabs at AJ. He claimed that the fighter had lost his identity. The remark, of course, rubbed Joshua the wrong way. Bringing his wrath in retaliation to Wilder, AJ noted, “Who the f*** is he? He’s a boxer not a psychologist… The boy has had 50 fights and he fought Jason Gavern in his 30-something fight, I probably fought him in my 12th. We are different.” 38-year-old Wilder fought against Gavern in 2014, marking his 29th pro fight. AJ, on the other hand, contested against Gavern a year later for his 11th pro fight.

Londoner Joshua further explained that there were significant differences between Wilder and him. He strongly asserted that he was someone with a strong identity and suggested Wilder and his team stop looking for faults in him. He continued, “..my identity is strong. If they’re looking for weaknesses and gaps, then they need to stop looking over here because I’m solid.” It remains unclear when the anticipated AJ vs. Wilder fight will dawn in the boxing realm, but come 23rd December, the fight will see its closest iteration.

A Prelude to AJ vs. Wilder

December 23rd will see both AJ and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ descend at the same Riyadh arena. But they will not fight each other. While AJ will take his fight against Otto Walin, Wilder will face off against Joseph Parker. The Saudis have defended their choice to not put the fighters against each other yet on the same card by saying that there would be another big fight in early 2024 where AJ-Wilder would be on the main card. However, the 23rd December fight will act as a prelude to it.

While making his predictions for the AJ-Walin fight, Wilder saw his long-standing nemesis as the favorite. In a conversation with WS News, Wilder said, “Joshua. I think Joshua knocks him out. Six to eight rounds.” His predictions come with his interests of course. AJ needs to win against Walin so that a fight against Wilder becomes a possibility. Also, Wilder cannot afford to enter the ring against someone who’s recently lost a fight.

Also Read: “If We Both…”: Deontay Wilder Reveals the Only Condition That Threatens His Possible Fight Against Anthony Joshua

The boxing realm keeps its desperate vision for 2024. The initial few months of the year promise an impressive roster for the Saudi season. The much anticipated Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk fight has been scheduled for the 17th of February. Indeed, a golden hour awaits for the heavyweight class.

Who do you see winning between AJ and Wilder? Take your picks in the comments section below.

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