The WBC have revealed the winner of Anthony Joshua against Deontay Wilder will emerge as the mandatory challenger for the WBC world heavyweight champion.
The pair – who are former heavyweight champions – are part of a bumper card on Saturday’s Day of Reckoning in Saudi Arabia.
Anthony Joshua will face Otto Wallin, while Wilder is set to take on Joseph Parker.
There has been significant speculation for a while about a fight between Joshua and Wilder and if they both win on Saturday, they are expected to square off for a showdown on March 9.
Tyson Fury currently holds the WBC title, with the Gypsy King to fight Oleksandr Usyk – who is the WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO and Ring Magazine Champion – on February 17 for the undisputed world heavyweight title.
The WBC revealed the winner of the proposed bout between Anthony Joshua against Deontay Wilder will emerge as the mandatory challenger for the WBC world heavyweight champion
This would set up a potential showdown against Tyson Fury (left) or Oleksandr Usyk (right)
And WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman claimed Usyk or Fury could be facing Joshua or Wilder relatively soon if the latter pairing do face off in a long-awaited fight.
‘The Day of Reckoning is an unprecedented event, and it’s a great tournament,’ he told Boxing Scene.
‘If Wilder and Joshua fight, it will be a natural final elimination bout between the WBC’s No. 1 challenger Wilder and No. 2 Joshua for the mandatory shot.
‘We’ll wait to see what happens on Saturday, but at this time there is nothing (yet official).’
‘From what I understand, Fury-Usyk and Wilder-Joshua both have rematch agreements.’
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman also claimed the potential fights were long overdue
Sulaiman also went onto insist how the potential showdowns between some of the world’s greatest heavyweights were long overdue.
He continued: ‘I feel very very excited. We’ve been having a push for this for many years. When Wilder was our champion (from 2015 to 2020), we provided all of the time and possibilities for him to face Joshua at the time.
‘When Fury beat Wilder and became the champion, we did several things in the process, hoping (for Fury) to land the fight with Joshua, and then Usyk.
‘So it’s been a long process – a long due process. Now it’s happening, and the WBC is proud, happy and supportive. It’s a great moment for boxing.’
