Anthony Joshua is “stalling” and does not back himself in a fight with Deontay Wilder according to Carl Froch.

Joshua and Wilder will be fighting on the same card in Saudi Arabia on December 23 but they will be taking on different opponents. The Englishman will be taking on Otto Wallin with Wilder in the ring with Joseph Parker.

This has annoyed some boxing fans, who were looking forward to a clash between Fury and Wilder. Former boxer Froch believes this is because either Joshua or his promoter Eddie Hearn feel uneasy about a bout with Wilder.

"It's frustrating and it's annoying,” Froch told talkSport. My first feeling is I'm disappointed with the AJ vs Wilder fight being off and then it's hard to see past that... It's more like stalling tactics and delaying what we want as boxing fans.

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"I put that blame totally on Eddie Hearn or Anthony Joshua. Because if AJ wanted to fight Wilder and he was confident enough to make a statement by fighting someone like Wilder and do what Tyson Fury had done twice... then what a statement that would be.

"For me that's a mega fight, Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder, and that's been pulled. We've had the rug pulled out from under our feet, the fans, because we want to see these fights and they're not happening and they're all getting paid mega money out in Saudi.

"It's one of them where you think, 'What happens?'. Does AJ get absolutely obliterated and knocked out in a couple of rounds because he's a bit mentally still tentative in the way in which he does his work? Or does AJ actually turn up and put on a boxing masterclass and maybe even finish off Wilder?"