Anthony Joshua v Deontay Wilder is the World heavyweight title unification bout every one really wants to see but the two big guns in the division will be facing different opponents next month, just to whet the appetite further.
Wilder, the ‘Bronze Bomber’ was due to fight Luis Ortiz last November 4 only for his challenger to test positive for a banned substance, forcing the fight to be put on hold. But Wilder, himself, has just been handed down a community service sentence and probation for possession of marijuana so can hardly take the moral high ground and, as half-decent heavyweights are relatively thin on the ground at present, Cuban Ortiz is getting another crack at the WBC world champion.
Wilder destroyed his last opponent in under three minutes and it’s hard to see an overweight Ortiz lasting much longer, which should pave the way for an all-or-nothing showdown with either Joshua or Jospeh Parker at the end of the year.
‘AJ’ looks to have a more difficult task in front of him at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff next month. New Zealander Parker is the WBO champion and is hoping to take Joshua’s WBA and IBF belts. However, he has a serious flaw in a heavyweight – he doesn’t look as though he has a devastating knockout punch, like a Wilder or a Klitschko, despite a record of 18 stoppages in 24 fights.
Parker may be two years younger than Joshua but he’s also two inches shorter, has a shorter reach and will probably be conceding around a stone. In his last defence of the WBO belt, he ended up chasing the ordinary Hugh Fury across the ring for 12 rounds before winning on points. He’s durable, of that there is no doubt, but Joshua will pick him off if he starts charging and body shots can do as much damage of one big shot to the chin over a period of time. While ‘AJ’ doesn’t have a cast-iron defence, he is a lot more mobile than his opponent on the evidence to date.
Considering he is unbeaten, Marathonbet‘s 11/1 for Parker to take Joshua’s titles in Cardiff is inflated with Joshua no bigger than 1/12. But the former Olympic champion has stopped all 20 of his opponents and can’t afford not to take his challenger seriously. Joshua is 1/4 with Marathonbet to win by KO, TKO or Disqualification but a better bet may be the 19/13 on offer for Over 8.5 Total Rounds.
