Deontay Wilder told to ‘concentrate’ on Anthony Joshua with alternative fight ‘recipe for disaster’

Wilder has been out of the ring since he brutally knocked out Robert Helenius inside one round in October 2022.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ has been in talks with Joshua’s team over a long-awaited fight against the Brit but this is expected to be delayed until next year.

Instead, Wilder and Joshua are set to appear on the same card but face different opponents on December 23 in Saudi Arabia.

The American is scheduled to face Joseph Parker, while his heavyweight rival will come up against Otto Wallin. It is hoped that if they both win, Wilder and Joshua will *finally* clash on another Saudi Arabia card in 2024.

News of this card emerged after Wilder was linked with a fight with Francis Ngannou, who perhaps should have caused one of the biggest upsets in boxing history by beating Tyson Fury last month.

Ngannou floored Fury in the early stages but he was beaten by split decision after the ten-round contest went the distance.

In the aftermath, Wilder boldly indicated he would like to face the former UFC heavyweight champion in an MMA bout.

“I’m thinking about doing both, UFC and boxing. To keep the activity alive and keep it going,” Wilder said.

“I’ll be a dangerous man in the UFC, bro. With those four-ounce gloves? I broke the f***ing hitting bag machine with those four-ounce gloves on. That was some real stuff.”

Former world champion Froch has warned Wilder against taking this fight as it would be a “recipe for disaster”.

“He needs to concentrate on getting AJ in the ring. That’s a massive fight, but I’d advise him against facing Ngannou in the cage. That’s a recipe for disaster. He wants to stay well clear of Ngannou,” Froch said.

“He’s got long, skinny chicken legs and as soon as he takes a kick to the knee or the shin he’s going to be bang in trouble, so unless he’s got some jiu-jitsu background, I’d say absolutely avoid that.

"It’s a different discipline. I’d tell him to stay well clear of it. He’s designed for throwing long heavy punches not rolling around on the floor having a grapple, I think he’d get snapped in half.”