ANTHONY JOSHUA has revealed the new timeline for his long-awaited showdown with Deontay Wilder.
The pair were on course for a December dust-up before Saudi boxing chiefs pulled the plug on their mouthwatering grudge match.
Anthony Joshua is extremely close to a showdown with Deontay WilderREUTERS
AJ must first get through Otto Wallin before he can think about facing WilderGETTY
AJ reckons the pair will finally get down to business midway through 2024PA
But the pair could very well throw down next year if they get through their respective bouts with Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker next weekend.
And AJ has claimed a mid-year showdown in 2024 is likely if all things go to plan.
When asked for a timeline for their long-overdue clash, he told TNT Sports‘ Boxing Channel: “2024. So I don’t put my foot in it, mid – not early not late.”
Joshua and Wilder, 34 and 38 respectively, were on course to face one another five years ago when they held all the heavyweight marbles.
And the constant back and forth in recent years has Joshua willing to face ‘The Bronze Bomber’ even if he loses to Parker.
He said: “I’ll still fight Wilder, let’s not take our eyes off the prize.
“Also, do you know what it is as well, It’s all fun, but I want to become a three-time heavyweight champion of the world. That’s my main focus.
“But Wallin is also fighting for the mandatory position to fight for the IBF title as well.
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“So if I can beat Wallin, God willing it works out, then that puts me in a position to fight for the mandatory where I can then compete for the title.
“So if Parker beats Wilder, they’re still part of that entertainment circle. But he’s not officially ranked with the IBF.
“So for me, it’s good but it’s not part of my plan. But it’s still good entertainment.
“Parker would be a good fight, Wilder would be a good fight. I think anyone who fights me from an entertainment view makes a bit of noise.”
Joshua’s revealing of a potential timeline for his clash with Wilder comes just weeks after promoter Eddie Hearn claimed the pair will do battle next March.
He told The MacLife: “We had six weeks, really, when we received a phone call from Saudi Arabia to say, ‘Do you want to fight on the card?
“‘Otto Wallin is the opponent. And at the same time, we got offered fights for [Dmitry] Bivol and [Jai] Opetaia and AJ was up for it.
“He wanted to fight three times this year. Wilder is on the card; victory for both and the fight is inevitable.
“We got from a situation of it being pretty much agreed for January to not being agreed.
“But now we fight in December and hopefully we make the fight for March.”
Watch the full interview on TNT Sports 1 from 6:30pm or the TNT Sports Boxing YouTube Channel. ‘Day of Reckoning’, Saturday 23rd December, as part of Riyadh season will be available live on TNT Sports Box Office and DAZN. For info on how to watch visit www.dayofreckoning.co.uk