Will Anthony Joshua fight Deontay Wilder? AJ vs. The Bronze Bomber could be back on the board

Once upon a time, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder were undefeated heavyweight champions gearing up for an undisputed title fight. A few years later, both have just lost by fifth-round knockout, giving them four defeats each in their careers.

Joshua's surprise surrender to IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois on Saturday has sent shock waves through boxing's elite ranks, with the former two-time champion knocked down three times before running into a devastating right counter that knocked him unconscious.

Eddie Hearn has predicted AJ's next move will be a revenge quest. “He'll want a rematch against Daniel Dubois,” the Matchroom boss said on iFL TV. “When a fighter gets beat, he just wants a chance to avenge the defeat.”

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According to Hearns, this was a sub-story in Joshua's career. When the Englishman was shockingly beaten by Andy Ruiz in 2019, Joshua exercised a rematch clause and defeated Ruiz on points in a direct rematch. Two years later, Joshua was defeated on points by Oleksandr Usyk and went straight to the follow-up. He lost again to the Ukrainian, but fared far better.

A direct Dubois rematch is likely, but Hearn has also considered other options: “If [Tyson] Fury should lose [to Usyk on December 21]they might say, so let's give the public one last hurrah – two big fights [between Fury and Joshua]. Or, if Fury wins, he could fight AJ for the unified heavyweight title. Or we fight someone else… Deontay Wilder?”

The Fury vs. Joshua fight exists and always will, but the Joshua vs. Wilder fight was recently considered buried.

The Sporting News examines the chances that we will finally see a fight that has been hoped for for six years.

Who would win in the duel between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder?

The honest answer is: “Who knows.”

Either man could tear down the walls of a city and both are vulnerable to hard hits. It could come down to who hits who first.

Joshua is the better boxer of the two from distance and has more weapons. Even though he is a little older now, Wilder “just needs to be perfect for one second” with his right hand and it's all over.

Today I'd pick AJ and tomorrow it could be Wilder. That's what's exciting about this match… and it's still a box office hit.

Will Anthony Joshua fight Deontay Wilder?

There is so much going on in the heavyweight division right now and you never know what is coming next. The next confirmed superfight in the division is Usyk vs. Fury 2 and we will see what happens after that.

Personally, I believe Joshua vs. Wilder is forever doomed. Why? Simply because there are different degrees of decline. Joshua is getting slammed on social media because his loss to Dubois is so fresh in people's minds. Wilder, on the other hand, is 1-4 in his last five starts and has been knocked out three times.

Wilder needs Joshua much more than Joshua needs Wilder. Despite the beating Dubois just gave him, AJ has better options than “The Bronze Bomber” at this point.

Sorry to burst the AJ Wilder bubble.