Anthony Joshua is close to tying up deals for his next two fights, with Alexander Povetkin increasingly likely to be his next opponent and Deontay Wilder signing up for a blockbuster in early 2019.
A fight with Wilder, the WBC champion, has long been the preferred choice for September but those plans are set to be put back as US broadcasters do not want a clash with Canelo Alvarez’s comeback fight following his drugs ban.
It has created a scenario where Povetkin, the mandatory challenger for Joshua’s WBA title, is likely to fill a September slot, with Wilder expected to contest a unification bout with Joshua in February or March. Talks with both parties have been taking place simultaneously, with deals close on each front.
There remains a chance that Wilder will be the next fight, with dates in October and November under consideration, but promoter Eddie Hearn said his ‘gut feeling’ is that Joshua will fight Povetkin in September and then face Wilder in early 2019.
He said: ‘I believe we will get a deal done with Deontay quite soon. We are close on that. Ideally AJ and us wanted September in the UK but that isn’t working for them.
‘There is a chance we could make that fight in October or November, if it was to be AJ’s next fight, or we could do it in February or March if he fights Povetkin next.
Hearn is confident a deal for Joshua to fight Deontay Wilder (above) will be done ‘quite soon’
‘Either way, I think we are close to a deal. It could well be that AJ fights Povetkin in September and after that it would be Wilder in February or March. He will fight Wilder in his next two fights.
‘But my gut feeling right now is that Povetkin will be the next fight, in September.’
A fight between Povetkin and Joshua, the IBF, WBO and WBA champion, would be in Britain, with London most likely. Povetkin, the 2004 Olympic champion, has 34 wins and only one defeat against Wladimir Klitschko from 35 fights, with the most recent being a fifth-round knockout of David Price on Joshua’s undercard in March.