‘He isn’t an elite fighter’ – Joshua dismisses fellow ‘Nigerian’ boxing star, Wilder

THERE is a war of words brewing between two heavyweight boxing champions of Nigerian heritage, Briton Anthony Joshua and American Deontay Wilder.

Joshua has insisted that Wilder is not an ‘elite fighter’ since he only has one weapon, his big right hand.

World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation champion Joshua recently missed out on a unification title fight with Tyson Fury because of Wilder’s interference, and is still bristling with resentment.

An arbitration case brought by former World Boxing Council champion Wilder ruled that Fury had to fight the American for the third time, instead of the proposed £200m showdown with Joshua.

Instead of Fury, Joshua will have to face his mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk in September at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

“He isn’t an elite-level fighter, in my opinion,” Joshua told Sky Sports News, referring to Wilder.

“He’s good, it’s the heavyweights, so they always know one punch can change the course of a fight, but I’ve never, ever seen in the heavyweight division a fighter going to war with just one weapon, which is what they say is his right hand.

“When you get to the top level? Trust me, that don’t last anymore, that don’t work.

“As we’ve seen now with certain fights of elite-level fighters, he struggles at the top level, and there’s a lot more of us waiting for that opportunity as well to kick his a**.”

Wilder, on his part, has accused Joshua of plotting to avoid him even if he (Wilder) beats Fury.

Joshua denied the claim, pointing at his record of taking on big fights, unlike Wilder.

“This is the first time I’m talking about Deontay Wilder, so I don’t know what excuses he’s thinking I’m making,” Joshua added.

“I’m a throwback fighter. Check the resume, I’ve been in with all of them. The new school and the old school, and there’s still a lot more to do. I’m fighting a great fighter in Usyk.

“I will fight them all. Wilder is just another one in the pecking order, no problem – I don’t know what excuses he’s talking about.”

Wilder said in previous interviews that he would finish Joshua in a ‘devastating fashion’.

Joshua, 31, was born in Watford, United Kingdom, to Nigerian parents (his mother is fully Nigerian while his father is part Nigerian, part Irish).

He spent some years If his childhood in Nigeria and has visited often, especially his hometown of Sagamu in the south western part of the country.

Wilder, 35, was born in the United States and has spent all his life in the country. But he recently traced his roots to Edo State, South-South and plans to visit soon.

Incidentally, there is a major highway from Sagamu straight to Benin City, the Edo State capital, and the distance between the two cities is just about 250 kilometres.