22 December 2023 , 16:16
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Fans are convinced Anthony Joshua is "scared" of Deontay Wilder after the American addressed their planned mega-fight.
Former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua is hoping to set up a long-awaited fight with Wilder when he fights Otto Wallin on Saturday night at the 'Day of Reckoning' event in Saudi Arabia. Wilder is also in action on the card and will have to keep up his end of the deal by getting past Joseph Parker.
Wilder discussed his potential fight with Joshua at the press conference earlier this week as 'AJ' paid close attention to his rival's words. “I see a man that has been focused on what task lies at his hand, the same as I,” Wilder said. “I’m not in his head so I can’t speak for himself. A lot of people have been asking me about his mannerisms and his demeanour, the way he’s been reacting to the media and the questions he’s been asked about him."
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“I can’t speak for him, we’re on the outside looking in so we’ll see. He has a big task to complete and so do I as well. When it’s all over with, we can talk about it. This moment in time, it’s getting close to the fight and we are both focused on the same task. That’s the win, I’ll leave it at that.”
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Fans have since reacted to the clip as one user wrote: "Joshua looks like a robot.. is he ok?" A second comment read: "Joshua looks scared of Wilder" with another user agreeing: "Wilder has AJ shook". Some fans disagreed with the take and accused Wilder of switching up around Joshua in person having previously been critical of him during interviews earlier this year.
"Wilder bottles it every time he's in front of Joshua, soon as he's out of sight he's all mouth, what a div," one comment read. "Wilder always switches up when AJ is present such a phoney," a second user added. "His energy is completely different when he's in the same room as Joshua," a final user commented.
Wilder is back in action for the first time in over a year having not fought since knocking out Robert Helenius last October, with Joshua's last win also coming against the same opponent. 'AJ' won an unconvincing decision against Jermaine Franklin in April before his brutal KO against Helenius in August.