Anthony Joshua Vs. Deontay Wilder: Today’s Ali-Frazier?

By James Slater - 10/12/2017 - Comments

While almost all fight fans and boxing historians feel there will NEVER be another fight or night as epic and as truly special as the happening that was the Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali super-fight from 1971, reigning WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder says that a fight between he and rival champ Anthony Joshua would rank right up there with “The Fight of The Century.”

Like Ali and Frazier were at the time of their monster fight, Wilder and Joshua are unbeaten, close to their respective peak, and each boasts a genuine claim to the crown. There the similarities end but Wilder, in speaking with GQ, is adamant a fight between he and the IBF/WBA ruler will be the biggest fight in the division’s history for some time.

“It will be one of the biggest-ever heavyweight fights,” Wilder said of a fight with AJ. “We’re talking an Ali-Frazier type of thing. Millions and millions of people would tune in for that, no doubt. I have no doubt in my mind [I would knock him out.] I could knock out any man in the heavyweight division. I’d beat him [Joshua] like I’ve beaten every other fighter.”

Wilder Vs. Joshua certainly has a nice ring to it, and if the two men do remain unbeaten the fight simply has to happen. Wilder, with his blend of raw power and sheer aggressiveness, sees himself as the next superstar of the division and it seems obvious he is convinced there would only be one winner if he and Joshua got it on.

Of course Joshua has the same feelings and beliefs, now we all need to see which wannabe superstar of the division comes out on top. It might not be as big as Ali-Frazier (no fight ever will be again) but Wilder-Joshua would certainly add some needed magic to today’s heavyweight scene. And unlike the unforgettable Frazier-Ali battle, this one would definitely end via a KO; one way or the other.

Let’s just hope that, after all the talk, all the intrigue, this fight DOES happen, and doesn’t become a modern day Lennox Lewis-Riddick Bowe. We need to see AJ come through against Kubrat Pulev this month, and then we need “The Bronze Bomber” to repeat his win over Bermane Stiverne next month.