Carl Froch has slammed Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder’s proposed “supercard” in Saudi Arabia.
Several promotional companies will team up to stage a stacked boxing card on December 23. UK rivals Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren are just two big players who have come together - united by the Public Investment Fund’s billions - to finalise a star-studded event, which was announced last week.
The date was reserved for Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk but that has now been pushed back to February following his unexpected war with novice Francis Ngannou last month. Now Joshua and Wilder will finally step inside the ring but, unfortunately for fight fans, not at the same time.
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The two former heavyweight champions will fight Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker respectively and fans are questioning why they are not facing each other. Ex-WBC, WBA and IBF super-middleweight king Froch is the most high-profile pundit to blast the event.
“As a show, as a spectacle, it’s one to tune in to,” he told his YouTube channel. “Individually, these fights aren’t that big. Together, it’s pretty big so you can see what they’re doing promotional-wise. They’re going to get Anthony Joshua, providing he wins, in the ring with Deontay Wilder, providing he wins. They’ll have a face-off and that will build their fight.
“Why isn’t the fight happening with Joshua and Wilder? If they’re both fit, in camp and in the same building… This fight has been talked about for five years, maybe even longer.
“And they’re fighting other opponents. They’re squeezing that extra bit of juice out of the Saudi money. The fans are left questioning ‘Why is this happening?’ If he loses to Wilder, that could be the end of him (Joshua). So I can understand from Eddie Hearn’s point of view, ‘Let’s get another one out of Joshua’. But it’s frustrating and annoying.”