Saudi boxing powerbroker Turki Al-Sheikh has called for Anthony Joshua to face Deontay Wilder following Tyson Fury’s retirement from the sport.
Speaking on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan show today, Al-Sheikh said: “I want to see Joshua and Wilder now.”
“If Tyson is not available, why not Joshua and Wilder?” the influential matchmaker added, as he looks to arrange another major heavyweight clash.
The comments come just days after Fury announced his departure from boxing.
Anthony Joshua could face Deontay Wilder next in the ring
PA
On Monday, Fury made his latest retirement announcement in characteristically dramatic fashion.
“Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet,” Fury stated. “I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing, it has been a blast, I’ve loved every single minute of it and I’m going to end with this; Dick Turpin wore a mask.”
The 36-year-old’s decision follows his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in December.
This is not the first time Fury has claimed to be retiring, having previously reversed such decisions.
Both Joshua and Wilder have endured recent setbacks in their careers.
Joshua suffered a devastating knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September, being floored four times before the fifth-round stoppage at Wembley Stadium.
Wilder, 39, is looking to rebuild after consecutive defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.
The American is planning his comeback, with journalist Manouk Akopyan reporting that Wilder will return in April on BLK Prime, with his opponent to be announced this weekend in Los Angeles.
Al-Sheikh also revealed plans for other heavyweight matchups during his talkSPORT appearance.
Deontay Wilder has been tipped to step up and fight Anthony Joshua
PA
The Saudi adviser confirmed a deal has been finalised for Martin Bakole to face Efe Ajagba in an IBF mandatory bout.
He expressed interest in staging Joshua against Bakole afterwards, with a specific location in mind.
“I want to see this fight right. I want to see it but you know where I want to see it. I want to see it in Africa,” Al-Sheikh told talkSPORT.
Joshua and Wilder have long been linked, with the pair nearly facing each other multiple times throughout their careers.
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Tyson Fury announced his retirement earlier this week on social media
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The heavyweights shared a fight card in Saudi Arabia last December, where Joshua defeated Otto Wallin while Wilder lost to Joseph Parker.
Victory for both men would have set up their clash in 2024.
Joshua went on to knock out Francis Ngannou in his next bout, while Wilder suffered defeat to Zhang.
The potential matchup has remained elusive for boxing fans, unlike Fury’s trilogy with Wilder between 2018 and 2021.
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