Deontay Wilder could still fight Anthony Joshua if he gets his career back on track.
That’s according to Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, who says it’s realistically all or nothing for Wilder now.
Wilder has the chance to revive his career when he faces Tyrrell Herndon in Kansas next month.
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‘The Bronze Bomber’ has looked a shadow of his former hardest-hitting self in the ring recently.
He has lost four of his last fights and was shocking stopped by Chinese powerhouse Zhilei Zhang in June last year.
This came six months after he suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Joseph Parker, which derailed a blockbuster meeting with ‘AJ’.
Speaking to FightHype.com, Hearn confirmed that Wilder had signed to fight Joshua at the time and an announcement was imminent, until the former lost to Parker.
Hearn believes that Wilder has now lost his fear factor in the squared circle, but revealed that a fight with Joshua could still happen down the line.
“If [Wilder] keeps winning, maybe people can talk about that fight,” he said.
“It’s definitely not a fight that I rule out, but people don’t give Wilder much shot against AJ right now, but hopefully he can start looking good again.
“Again, we talk about fighters losing their way. There’s a great example.
“It’s funny how people can be so fearful of a fighter, and then all of a sudden have no fear whatsoever.
“I don’t think anybody now would fear fighting Deontay Wilder, whereas at a point, everyone thought: ‘Oh my God, this guy is the biggest puncher in the history of the sport.’
“Now, everyone wants to fight him, so we shall see.”
Hearn also mentioned that Joshua’s last defeat in the ring makes the fight with Wilder more likely to happen if ‘The Bronze Bomber’ gets some wins back.
AJ’s heavyweight title dreams collapsed after he was shockingly knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September.
Dubois now faces Oleksandr Usyk in the same venue in July for the chance to become the first British undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
Wilder, meanwhile, has faced widespread criticism since his defeat to Zhang, with many boxing enthusiasts calling for his retirement.
“This fight isn’t going to tell us much, apart from [Wilder] gaining the confidence of a win,” Hearn concluded.
“If he struggles against this guy he has to pack it in, but I expect him to win, and hopefully he can win well.”
Nevertheless, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has decided to make a return, as he faces fellow American Herndon, who is 24-5 in professional boxing and a huge underdog for the bout.
It feels like the last chance for Wilder who is 39 years old now and in desperate need of a victory in June.
However, for Herndon, it is an opportunity that he has always dreamt of, and he doesn’t want to just let it slip by.
“It is something I visualised would happen,” the 37-year-old from Texas told talkSPORT.com in April ahead of his clash with Wilder.
“I’ve replayed this scenario in my mind a thousand times, so when it does happen, I’ve already been there.
“Critics told me I was crazy for doing that, [but] I’ve already been there a thousand times already, so when I get in there with him I think it will be natural.
“A week before I got the call, it was my tenth year as a pro, I was on my way to the gym but I turned around.
“I just said ‘today isn’t one of my days’. I’d been doing this ten years, but what did I have to show for it?
“Then my manager rang and I thought it might be Dillian Whyte, as that fight didn’t materialise before.
“But then he said Deontay Wilder and I replied ‘get the f*** out of here.’ I couldn’t believe it.
“It reminded me that any time can be my moment, and it means more than anyone would know.”
Herndon will have all the odds stacked against him at the Charles Koch Arena in Kansas when he takes part in the biggest fight of his career.
Wilder, meanwhile, will hope the fight can propel him back into contention for one more huge payday in the ring against a name like AJ or Francis Ngannou.
