Anthony Joshua should have fought Deontay Wilder six years ago this month. In December 2017 Joshua held the IBF A and WBA versions of the world heavyweight title and, after victory over Wladimir Klitschko eight months earlier, his record was a flawless 19-0. He was 27 years old and at the peak of his profession.
Wilder, with his 38-0 record including 37 victories by stoppage, was the WBC heavyweight champion and the most imposing knockout merchant on the planet.
There was risk in a unification fight, for both men, but they would almost certainly have produced a riveting contest. Of course promotional rivalries, sanctioning body shenanigans and the rampant egos of boxing's powerbrokers meant that the fight never happened. It was only this month that contracts were apparently signed by both Joshua and Wilder for them to meet in March 2024 in Riyadh. Those delayed plans have now been consigned to the fight game's dump of ruined dreams.
In the early hours of Sunday morning in Riyadh, Wilder was beaten by Joseph Parker in a one-sided bout. One judge gave every round to Parker and the two other officials were accurate in their 118-111 and 118-110 scoring. Wilder, Joshua, their promoters and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which believes that bankrolling boxing might help to obscure its appalling human rights record, have all been left to rue the harsh reality of heavyweight boxing.
"He lost 120-108 [on one scorecard], he lost every round," Eddie Hearn said of Wilder just after 3am on Sunday, local time.
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