Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder still needs to happen, but what's next?

Anthony Joshua, the WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight champion, will face Alexander Povetkin at Wembley Stadium in London on Sept. 22. It's not the fight that boxing fans wanted out of Joshua, who is one of the biggest names in the sport.

Most wanted Joshua to face Deontay Wilder in a world title unification bout, and fans have been strung along for quite awhile while that was very ugly. Wilder is the WBC title holder in the weight class, and the prospect of a unification bout for all four major world titles is incredibly tantalizing for fans.

But there are reasons the fight is not up next beyond "negotiations" not going well.

Why Joshua is fighting Povetkin

Joshua, as noted, holds three titles, and one of them was in jeopardy. Specifically, the WBA belt could have been stripped from Joshua if he did not meet the deadline to negotiate his next fight, or with Povetkin or Wilder. The WBA had already been granted a deal, but eventually had a deal with the effect of June 27.

While fans (and Joshua) wanted the Wilder fight the most It makes sense for Joshua to defend the WBA while pushing the Wilder fight back.

It is also worth noting that Povetkin is not a pushover by any means. He's 34-1 with 24 knockouts to his name, and will be Joshua's toughest test since he knocked out Wladimir Klitschko in 2017. Since then, Joshua has stopped Carlos Takam and won a unanimous decision over Joseph Parker.

Many question Povetkin's status The last fight was a fifth-round knockout of David Price in March 2018, but it was won last week by Klitschko in 2013. His last fight was a fifth-round knockout of David Price in March 2018.

What about Wilder in the Meantime?

The WBC's No. 2 fighter is Dominic Breazeale, and if Wilder wants or needs to stay active in advance of a future unification bout, taking care of his mandatory challenger should be doable. Like Povetkin, Breazeale does not represent a for-sure win for the champion, but Wilder will be favored in such a way

Breazeale is 19-1 with 17 knockouts on his record. His lone loss is to Joshua, but since then he has beaten Izu Ugonoh and Eric Molina on the undercard of Wilder's fights. Breazeale is confident that he has what it takes to beat Wilder, claiming to PrimeBoxingChampions.com that he has observed "a lot more weaknesses than I've seen strengths."

Joshua Vs. Wilder is the absolute biggest fight that can be made in boxing right now. And they will still be the best of the two, they have defended their titles again, provided they are successful defenses.

The Path Forward After Sept. 22

Provided Joshua Wins and Provided The End of April 13, 2019. That's a long way off, but both boxers will hopefully have another win by the time it comes around.

All aspects of said April 2019 are not fully confirmed, with the contract not yet set in stone. Joshua is contracted to fight at Wembley on that date, but we are not going to be able to accept that.

But fans are very likely to get the unification they want, just a lot later than they hoped.