A FRESH bracket has been thrown into the middle of a grudge match between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.
The pair’s long-awaited clash was about to come to fruition last December before Wilder suffered a shock defeat to Joseph Parker.
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AJ, however, refused to close the door on a fallout with the American and revealed earlier this month that he could face him at Wembley.
But Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh apparently has different plans for Wilder, who returns to the ring on June 1 for a do-or-die showdown with Zhilei Zhang.
Alalshikh plans for Wilder to take part in a domestic contest against the undefeated Jared Anderson if he gets past Riyad’s fight with Zhang.
Alongside a photo of himself and Anderson, Alalshikh tweeted: “The talented Jared Anderson is with us now. [the] August 3 Riyadh season card in Los Angeles against ‘Bronze Bomber’ Deontay Wilder.
“If he is ready to fight after the June 1st fight against Zhilei Zhang.”
Joshua, 34, hasn’t set foot in the ring since his brutal two-round demolition of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in March.
But he recently stated he is on track to fight Wilder, Zhang, Filip Hrgovic or Daniel Dubois in September.
He said talkSPORT at the end of last month: “Whenever they tell me there’s a date, you know I’ll be 100% ready.
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ANTHONY JOSHUA clawed his way to the top of the world before being knocked off his perch.
“It will be in London, at Wembley Stadium.
“That’s what they told me. If that’s what they say, they usually stand by their word, so let’s move on.
“Wembley, September 20th or 21st.”
The Watford warrior added: “On June 1, Saudi Arabia they have the 5 against 5 card.
“You have Filip Hrgovic vs Daniel Dubois and Zhilei Zhang vs Deontay Wilder.
“So as long as one of these looks good – the one that looks better, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh told me, ‘I want you to fight [him].’
“What he says is, ‘In the future, I want people to look at your record and say you faced the best.’
“I said, ‘Now you’re speaking my language.’
“So, out of that pool, I believe that’s who I’m going to fight, one of those.
“We’re on the same page and he’s on the same page as the fans too.
“But Fury has his obligations to Oleksandr Usyk, so I need to make sure I stay focused and disciplined.
“Keep advancing on opponents so I can get closer and closer to having my opportunity against Tyson Fury.”
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