When questioned about if he was disappointed to see Deontay Wilder get knocked out in what may have been his last fight, Anthony Joshua responded with a harsh one-word statement.
On Saturday night in Saudi Arabia, Frank Warren’s Queensbury defeated Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing 5-0 after Zhilei Zhang stopped Wilder in the fifth round of their fight.
There had been rumors that Joshua and Wilder might square off in September of this year, if all had gone according to plan.
Deontay Wilder was knocked out in devastation fashion by Zhilei Zhang on Saturday night
Plans for a battle between the two heavyweights look to have been derailed by Wilder’s loss to Zhang.
When asked if he felt sorry for Wilder for being knocked out, Joshua said, “No.”
Following yet another setback, the American boxer may consider retiring, according to rumors generated by the loss.
Anthony Joshua (center) stated that although the American’s loss made it seem doubtful that he and AJ would fight, he was not upset to see Wilder go out.
When DAZN questioned AJ about his next opponent, he responded, “They are all going to get a seeing to.”
Joshua is now the favorite to face Zhang, or Daniel Dubois, who stopped Filip Hrgovic.
The loss has prompted Wilder to consider retiring, and Joshua subsequently advised DAZN that the Bronze Bomber shouldn’t make a snap decision.
He said: ‘I just look at and say, ‘if you want to do it, do it’, it’s not a big deal boxing, if you want to fight, fight on, and if you don’t want to do it, don’t do it any more, it’s just where your heart’s at.
‘He went in there against a good fighter in Zhilei, he’s an Olympian, Zhilei, people forget that, he’s come through, he’s got a great style.
‘I fought him before in the Olympics and he’s still doing what he does now, so many years on. He was in with a real good, seasoned professional with a great pedigree.
‘It doesn’t matter, come again if you want, and if you don’t, you’ve got your family there, there’s another life outside of boxing for him.’
Wilder never looked to be in the fight with Zhang putting him under constant pressure throughout the fight, before the brutal knockout in the fifth round.
It was an impressive victory for Zhang as Queensbury completed a clean sweep of Matchroom
Joshua acknowledged that Wilder shouldn’t decide whether to retire right away.
Prior to the bout, Wilder hinted that a defeat to Zhang may spell the end for him professionally.
“I’ve had a successful career, and this is a do or die moment for me,” he said to Seconds Out. Furthermore, I don’t think Deontay Wilder makes the heavyweight class as intriguing. But we’ll see on Saturday night. Will I win, will I be successful? Who knows? However, the real solution is Saturday night, and we’ll find out.
‘This could be the end of the career. This could be the final goodbye, the farewell of Deontay Wilder — if I lose. If I win, I prevail, of course I go on to bigger and better things.’
