Wilder’s team fearful of fighting Anthony Joshua in UK
Deontay Wilder’s team are worried about taking the Anthony Joshua fight in the UK after fellow heavyweight Dillian Whyte’s drugs test scandal.
Whyte, 31, beat Oscar Rivas on points in June but after the bout it was revealed UKAD reported an ‘adverse finding’ in his pre-fight drug test.
The British Board of Boxing Control still cleared the heavyweight to fight after a hearing, but the WBC later stripped him of his mandatory world title status.
However, one day before Whyte fought and beat Mariusz Wach on AJ’s undercard in Saudi Arabia, UKAD cleared the Brit of any doping charges.
But the whole scenario has left Team Wilder with some concerns ahead of a blockbuster unification fight with Joshua, who got his belts back by outpointing Ruiz at the weekend.
Wilder holds the only other heavyweight world title belt not in Joshua’s possession, the WBC strap, which he will defend in a rematch against Tyson Fury on February 22.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Wilder’s trainer and manager Jay Deas said: “Wherever (the fight) makes the most sense is fine with us — I don’t have any qualms about travelling or anything of that nature.
“But I will tell you, I would certainly be concerned given the Dillian Whyte situation.
“I know that they cleared him of the drug thing but still, when they had a positive result, and did not tell the opponent, that’s problematic.
“I think that’s potentially criminal. That’s a big, big issue for me.”
But he has refused to rule out Wilder travelling over to the UK to decide who is the undisputed heavyweight king, adding that the American “loves it there”.
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Wilder has fought before in the UK, when he battered Audley Harrison in 2013.