Anthony Joshua’s much-anticipated heavyweight showdown with Deontay Wilder is set to be finalised before the end of the month.
Final talks will ramp up at the start of this week over a clash between the pair in Saudi Arabia at the beginning of next year following Joshua’s victory over Robert Helenius.
Joshua was watched ringside at the O2 Arena by Wilder’s trainer Malik Scott, who said Wilder was planning a warm-up fight in October before a meeting with Joshua in January.
Prince Khalid bin Abdulaziz, a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family pushing boxing’s promotion in the country, was also ringside at the weekend.
It is believed both fighters have been offered nearly £50million to bring the fight to the Middle East.
Joshua knows he will need to lift his game against Wilder after a seventh-round knockout against the unheralded Helenius, which led to boos from some inside the O2.
Despite lacking explosivity for much of the seven rounds, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said he was confident of his charge going into the Wilder bout.
He said: “If Joshua hits Wilder on the chin then it is over. This is about Anthony Joshua now, it is not about pleasing others. He has given everything to British boxing.”
Joshua, meanwhile, defended his approach to the Helenius fight and insisted it was about building towards the Wilder fight in 2024.
“Why am I going to go in there and trade from round one?” he asked. “We are building confidence in myself, which is important and I have confidence in my team.
“I am just happy to get the win because I always know after one win it can lead onto something spectacular and I believe we’re onto something big.
“When you are playing, it is the most interesting and thinking man’s sport but, from the outside, chess is a boring game.”
