Unified heavyweight world titleholder Anthony Joshua and fellow titlist Joseph Parker head into their big-time showdown looking to preserve their perfect records and to unify three of the division's four major belts.
It is just the kind of high-stakes fight both have wanted, and they'll get it on Saturday (Showtime, 5 p.m. ET) at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, where an expected sellout crowd of 78,000 is expected. But even as big of a deal as this rare meeting between undefeated heavyweight titleholders is, there is another potential fight that has received tremendous attention during the buildup -- the prospect of Joshua, if he wins, facing undefeated titleholder Deontay Wilder for the undisputed championship. Since the advent of the four-belt era, there has never been a heavyweight to hold all four titles at the same time.
Joshua-Wilder is by far the biggest fight the division has to offer and one of the biggest in boxing. The notion of Wilder taking on Parker, should Parker emerge as the winner on Saturday, has been less bandied about for various reasons: Parker is a significant underdog, he is not nearly as well known on the world scene as Joshua, and also because if he wins, Joshua has the contractual right to a rematch (which Parker does not have if he loses).
After Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs), 32, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, knocked out dangerous, undefeated contender Luis "King Kong" Ortiz in the 10th round on March 3, he once again called out Joshua, as did his co-manager, Shelly Finkel.
Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, also has been talking openly about a Joshua-Wilder fight should Joshua defeat Parker. At one point, Hearn talked about bringing Joshua to New York for an August fight against contender Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller (20-0-1, 18 KOs) if Miller wins an April 28 fight against Wilder knockout victim Johann Duhaupas (37-4, 24 KOs). But earlier this month, Hearn said he had changed his mind and hoped to make the undisputed title fight next, even though there are hurdles there.
Hearn said even though he talks about the Wilder fight often, he has no worries that it will impact Joshua's focus on Parker.
"We never have to worry about Anthony's focus. He's probably the most focused and driven individual you can meet," Hearn said. "He knows the challenges and risks in front of him against Joseph Parker. One thing about Anthony is that he's not real big on hype. Until that fight [with Wilder] is signed, Anthony won't really get excited about that fight. He's not really interested in talking about it or hyping it. It's the biggest fight in world boxing. It's a fight that's completely irrelevant if he's not victorious next Saturday."
Joshua, calm and cool as always, has brushed aside the talk of Wilder with Parker looming.
"I can't worry about it [futures bouts]," Joshua said. "Saturday night is where it's at. Saturday night is big enough. Saturday night is massive."
Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) 28, of England, perhaps boxing's biggest global star, has been down this road before of having a huge fight in front of him. Last April, he knocked out former longtime unified world champion Wladimir Klitschko in the 11th round of the consensus 2017 fight of the year before a British boxing record crowd of 90,000 at Wembley Stadium in London. Joshua retained his title and also claimed a vacant belt to unify them. Then Joshua stopped Carlos Takam in the 10th round in October before a sold-out crowd at Principality Stadium in his fourth defense.
Parker (24-0, 18 KOs), 26, of New Zealand, hasn't fought before that kind of crowd before, but he has made two title defenses, including outpointing Hughie Fury in his hometown of Manchester, England, in September.
Parker, naturally, is aiming to upset whatever plans Joshua and his team may have.
"I've got the speed, power, skills, technique, all of the above," Parker said. "See you soon [Joshua]. Let's go to war!"
Joshua has been pressed about facing Wilder but has refused to get too far ahead of himself.
"I take it 1,000 percent one fight at a time," he said. "A lot of talk has been happening about AJ versus Deontay. People need to be realistic. I'm looking at Joseph Parker, who is a lively challenger. He's a champion for a reason.
"Let's say we look into a crystal ball and I'm victorious, then we can start talking about future plans. But, for now, my future starts on Saturday. That's where I've got to look to and not really beyond that moment.
"There's definitely a fear of losing because it keeps me going. I have to make sure I stay focused on the task at hand. The fear of losing keeps me motivated because I know how quickly the tables can turn. One minute you're the man and the next you're not."
Joshua said he is fighting Parker because when his team previously reached out to the Wilder camp last year it was met with silence (which the Wilder camp disputes).
"You've got to remember that a lot of that talk about me and Wilder started in 2017 after he beat Bermane Stiverne [in their November rematch]. But I haven't spoken much about it," Joshua said. "I've got great people in my corner that handle the business while I focus on the handling of my boxing technique.
"We reached out to Deontay Wilder's team before the fight with Joseph Parker was made [in mid-January]. And once that fight didn't happen, I put Wilder aside and focused solely on Parker. I'm not the one overlooking Joseph Parker and I'm not the one hooting and hollering about what's happening next. I'm really focused on Parker because, as you know, if I don't get past Parker, it slows down the train and derails everything we're trying to achieve in terms of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world."
Joshua did say that should he beat Parker, Wilder is definitely the opponent he wants to fight.
"One hundred percent -- there's no doubt in my mind that fight will happen. And there's no doubt in my mind that I'll beat Wilder as well," he said. "This is where we're heading. When Wladimir Klitschko was active and his brother [Vitali] relinquished the WBC belt, Wilder won it. If he was so interested in becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, why didn't he offer to fight Klitschko and say, 'Listen, I've got that belt that your brother has had. Let's me and you fight now.' There's a lot of pressure from fans in America, media and the papers for Wilder to step up and fight. And now we're here and I'm that champion and I'm definitely looking forward to it. That's why back-to-back, I've been racking up these belts one by one and taking fights. We're headed towards the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world."
As far as Parker is concerned, he is paying no mind to the prospect of a Joshua-Wilder fight, nor does he feel disrespected because there is so much conversation about it.
"It doesn't really bother me," Parker said. "I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and the fight they want to see. I think what's important for us is that we focus on what's in front of us and that's Anthony Joshua. Our focus is on Anthony Joshua and being in great shape and being healthy. It gives us motivation in training and we know what our focus is. Our focus is Anthony Joshua and putting on the best performance of our lives."