Wilder vs Joshua is off, never on for December

Deontay Wilder will not be facing Anthony Joshua in December, as both former heavyweight champions plot separate returns to the ring this summer, writes worldboxingnews.net.

Despite reports for several weeks stating Wilder vs Joshua is a ‘done deal’ or that an ‘offer has been made’ for the fight, World Boxing News can confirm none of it is set in stone.

According to the man behind the potential Saudi Arabian extravaganza, a contract or official contact in writing has never occurred. Skill Challenge Promotions figurehead, Amer Abdallah, rubbished anything printed so far. All he would say is that there is ‘interest,’ that’s it.

“There has not been any offer made. Is there interest in the fight? Yes. But has there been an official offer made? The answer is no. If there is, it will come from Skill Challenge directly.

“Boxing is a very fragmented sport. You have the biggest fights. The best fights can’t be made because of network obligations, because of promoters clashing, managers clashing, and sanctioning bodies.

“What Skill Challenge is doing is coming in and not competing with anybody. We’re unifying the sport. We are bringing all the best fights together under one umbrella.”

To do that, SCP must sign all the fighters they want to separate contracts as they become free agents. So far, with Oleksandr Usyk and Badou Jack, that has worked.

The focus is on the top division ruining the sport with a lack of willingness to negotiate. The best heavyweights, Usyk and Tyson Fury, drew a blank despite four months of talks for the undisputed belts. At this point, Fury vs Wilder IV seems far more likely to happen for the fans than any Usyk bout.

But as for Wilder vs Joshua, that fight has been a pipe dream for over five years. It doesn’t