Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker believes heavyweight kingpin Anthony Joshua 21-0 (20) has intentionally sidestepped Deontay Wilder 40-0 (39) after negotiations for the WBA, IBF, WBO and WBC unification bout broke down last week.
“After the fight with me he called [Deontay] Wilder out, but it seems to me he keeps changing his tone despite Wilder clearly wanting that fight. He [Wilder] wants to unify the division. I speak to him often and can really sense that passion he has to be undisputed champion,” Parker told RadioLIVE.
Parker, who lost his WBO crown to the reigning WBA, IBF and WBO champion from England last March, believes that his conqueror isn’t quite ready to face his WBC counterpart just yet.
“Joshua wants to unify too but I don’t think he thinks he is ready for Wilder,” said Parker, 24-1 (18). “He [Joshua] wants to take that fight at the right time for him.”
If and when the fight does happen, Parker knows who he will be backing to get the result.
“Personally I think Deontay Wilder takes it,” the 26-year-old Kiwi said. “Even though he is wild by name and nature, he is loose, elusive and has power.”
With the much-anticipated Joshua-Wilder unification bout being put on ice, the 26-year-old Joshua is expected to face his WBA mandatory in 38-year-old Alexander Povetkin 34-1 (24) of Russia next. The 32-year-old Wilder, meanwhile, is rumoured to be facing fellow American Dominic “Trouble” Breazeale 19-1 (17) in what will amount to little more than a stay-busy fight.
The 6-foot-7 Breazeale was stopped in seven rounds by Joshua in a fight for the IBF heavyweight title two years ago and has only fought twice since. Wilder will be looking to improve on that effort.
If the Joshua-Wilder fight does happen in 2019 as many are expecting, Parker can only see one result.
“[Wilder] has scary one-punch knockout power. I’d take him to win, but boxing is a funny game and I could be proven wrong,” Parker said.
The Las Vegas-based New Zealander will return to the ring when he faces leading heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte 23-1 (17) in a mouth-watering clash at London’s O2 Arena on July 28.
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