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Eddie Hearn has cast doubt on the prospects of a competitive fight between Joshua and Deontay Wilder. Both fighters recently participated in the 'Day of Reckoning' event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last month.
The event was intended to set the stage for a highly anticipated showdown between Joshua and Wilder in March. However, those plans were derailed when Wilder suffered a defeat at the hands of Joseph Parker in the co-feature, while Joshua emerged victorious against Otto Wallin in the main event.
Wilder, aged 38, faced a 14-month layoff before the fight and had only seen one round of action since 2021. Despite his reputation as a dangerous puncher, Wilder appeared hesitant in the ring and struggled with his timing when attempting to land his trademark punches.
Following the unexpected turn of events, Hearn expressed skepticism about the viability of the Joshua-Wilder matchup. "The fight’s dead for now. The people who wanted to put the fight on no longer see that as the fight that it was. The numbers don’t work now because Wilder’s a busted flush at the moment. It’s a mismatch in my opinion," Hearn said.
Despite the setback, Joshua is still slated to return to the ring in March in Saudi Arabia. The leading contender to face him is undefeated boxer Filip Hgrovic, with two other names—Zhilei Zhang and Francis Ngannou—also being considered for the bout. Zhang, a dangerous Chinese Olympian, and Ngannou, an MMA veteran who recently challenged Tyson Fury, are both in contention for the opportunity to face Joshua in what promises to be an intriguing matchup.
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