Saudi promoter targets Anthony Joshua vs Wilder clash in Africa

Saudi adviser and boxing promoter Turki Alalshikh has revealed that a potential heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and former WBC champion Deontay Wilder is on his radar, with plans to host the massive bout in Africa.

This development follows British heavyweight Tyson Fury’s announcement of his fifth career retirement earlier this week.

Joshua, a two-time former heavyweight world champion, had been linked with a high-profile all-British showdown against Fury this summer. However, Fury shocked fans by confirming his retirement from boxing via Instagram.

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“Hi everybody, I’m gonna make this short and sweet — I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing,” Fury stated. “It’s been a blast. I have loved every single minute of it and I’m going to end with this: Dick Turpin wore a mask! God bless everybody, see you on the other side.”

Fury’s announcement has fueled speculation that the retirement could be a tactical move to secure a more lucrative deal for a fight with Joshua. Meanwhile, Alalshikh has shifted his focus, expressing a desire to stage a blockbuster bout between Joshua and Wilder in Africa.

“If you want something about the British markets, I want to see Joshua and Wilder now,” Alalshikh told talkSPORT. “We finished the deal with (Martin) Bakole against the Nigerian fighter (Efe Ajagba or something like that). That fight is mandatory for the IBF.”

Alalshikh added that after Joshua fulfils any mandatory obligations, a bout against Wilder in Africa would be a spectacle for the ages. “I want to see this fight right, I want to see it but you know where I want to see it. I want to see it in Africa… Why not Joshua and Wilder?”

Such a showdown would carry significant historical weight, evoking memories of the legendary 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). Both Joshua and Wilder have expressed interest in fighting on African soil in the past, and Alalshikh’s vision could bring that dream closer to reality.