WBC president, Mauricio Sulaiman, has confirmed Anthony Joshua could fight Deontay Wilder as a final eliminator in a bid to determine a mandatory contender for the heavyweight title.
Joshua and Wilder are speculated to fight each other after they compete in different fights against Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia on December 23.
Sulaiman has ended the speculation by confirming that AJ and Wilder will fight each other as a final eliminator for the WBC belt if they win their respective bouts in December.
Meanwhile, they will have to wait for some time to get their shot at the title as Tyson Fury, who is the current holder of the WBC belt is set to face Oleksandr Usyk, the current holder of the IBF, WBA and WBO belts, on February 17 in Saudi Arabia.
Also, Sulaiman suggested there may be a rematch between Fury and Usyk, which could happen before Wilder or Joshua get their chance at the undisputed title.
He said: “We’ve been waiting and pushing and mediating and encouraging everyone to try to make this [Joshua vs Wilder] happen.
“When Wilder was champion there were a couple of occasions where Wilder-Joshua came very close. The WBC left that window without interfering with anything that could get in the way. Then with Tyson Fury, he was ready to fight Joshua, then Usyk.
“The problem that could happen is a mandatory contender,’ he continued. ‘We did order Wilder against [Andy] Ruiz, which was a tremendous fight, to find a mandatory contender.
“That fight didn’t take place. So the WBC board of governors has approved Fury against Usyk in February and then the rematch so there will not be anything in the way, as far as the WBC, for both fights to take place.”
Sulaiman spoke about the December 23 card in detail by saying: “In itself, it is a natural WBC elimination tournament. You have Wilder, No 1, Joshua, you have Parker, you have Otto Wallin, all those are highly ranked in the WBC. After December 23 we’re going to see a different picture in the rankings.
“It looks like Wilder and Joshua are on a collision course. That could very well be a final elimination to determine a mandatory contender for the WBC title.”
