LONDON – Former world heavyweight champions Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua will fight separate opponents on the same bill at a mega show in Saudi Arabia on Dec 23, the promoters confirmed on Wednesday.
Briton Joshua, the former WBA (World Boxing Association), IBF (International Boxing Federation) and WBO (World Boxing Organisation) champion, will take on Sweden’s Otto Wallin.
American Wilder, the former WBC (World Boxing Council) champion, faces New Zealand’s Joseph Parker at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena.
Parker is also a former WBO champion.
Joshua and Wilder could fight each other in 2024 if both win in Riyadh.
The Dec 23 show will also feature two world title clashes, with WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol scheduled to fight Britain’s Lyndon Arthur, while Australian IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia takes on Britain’s Ellis Zorro.
British heavyweight Daniel Dubois, who lost to WBA, IBF and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk in Poland in August, will be back in the ring to fight undefeated American Jarrell Miller.
Ukrainian Usyk had been due to fight WBC champion Tyson Fury for the undisputed crown in Riyadh on Dec 23 but that has been put back to give the Briton more time after a bruising non-title fight with Francis Ngannou.
A date for that fight was due to be announced on Thursday, with February looking likely.
Joshua said in October that a fight between him and Wilder could be staged on the undercard of the Usyk-Fury clash, when it happens.
Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, meanwhile, said the Riyadh show, led by Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren, had come together in record time thanks to the Saudi authorities.
“This is the fastest I’ve ever seen a fight card come together,” he told a news conference held in London.
“We’re talking about conversations that started 10 days ago, max, and that wasn’t even necessarily AJ (Joshua) at the time. That was Dmitry Bivol, that was Jai Opetaia and then it went into AJ.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. I think the speed of it actually benefited everybody because no one really had time to fall out.”
The card is also the latest high-profile sporting event to be held in Saudi Arabia, amid scrutiny on the Gulf state’s poor human rights record.
The country has continually increased its investment in global sport – including golf, Formula One and the impending hosting of football’s 2034 World Cup amid others – but critics have said that it is all “sportswashing”.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in September he is not bothered by those accusations and is concerned only with increasing his nation’s gross domestic product. REUTERS
