Anthony Joshua’s two-fight deal in 2026 has been announced, and Deontay Wilder is once again not part of the Briton’s plans, despite his resurgence.

Wilder’s team have now reacted to the news that Joshua will instead face Kristian Prenga ahead of his fight with Tyson Fury later in the year.

‘AJ’ was drafted by Fury following the latter’s victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov two weeks ago, but he has refused to publicly agree to a long-awaited showdown without a warm-up fight or a fully negotiated agreement.

Since then, another of Joshua’s long-time rivals, Wilder, has been linked as a potential summer opponent to prepare him for a clash with the “Gypsy King.” But on Monday it was different confirmed that the two-time world champion will face the lesser-known Albanian Prenga in exchange for less risk.

In an interview with Sky Sports BoxingShelly Finkel, who manages The Bronze Bomber, revealed that she is neither disappointed nor surprised by Joshua’s opponent, simply summing up the situation as “the same senior story.”

“You can’t be disappointed with something that never happened. Eddie never contacted us and Joshua obviously had no intention of fighting Deontay Wilder. Same senior story, just a modern date.”

While Hearn may not have been ready to fight Wilder, his goal is to defeat the former WBC heavyweight world champion for one of his other heavyweight challengers – Jarrell Miller.

As for Joshua, he will face Prenga on Saturday, July 25 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia, and will be looking to fight one of the biggest fights in British boxing history.

“We didn’t really make any money on Devin Haney, but that’s OK,” Hearn told Fighthype. “We lost a little. We earned a little. We built him for this position.”

When a promoter like Hearn, who has been Haney’s biggest cheerleader in the past, starts talking about “losing a little” and “overpaying,” it’s a clear sign that market value and actual revenue are out of sync.

Hearn essentially argues that while Haney gained name recognition, he never became a self-sustaining financial engine. The cost of his handbags combined with promotional expenses apparently outweighed the ticket sales and DAZN subscriptions he brought in.

“I’m not prepared to lose a few million by labeling Devin Haney,” Hearn said.

Hearn explained that signing Haney was still critical at the time, especially as a teenage American player with upside, but the numbers behind the performances did not fully reflect the results. He said Matchroom had “paid through the nose” to bring in Haney and push him forward, even if the reward was not immediate.

That experience now shapes his approach to Haney as an opponent or headliner. Hearn made it clear that he was no longer willing to accept losses just to add a recognizable name to his business card.

He compared this to promoters who may still be in the build-up phase, pointing to situations where companies are willing to take short-term financial hits.

“Others do. They may lose a few million, there is nothing wrong with that because they are building their squad,” Hearn said. “I’ve been in this position before. I’m not in this position anymore.”

Haney has yet managed to secure substantial paydays, including appearances at Saudi-backed events and on high-profile US cards, and Hearn admitted that the player and his father Bill have handled their business well. However, from the promoter’s point of view, the calculation has changed.

If the biggest sports promoter claims that he will not put a fighter in the fight of the evening because he will lose $2 million, it is difficult to deny that this fighter is a real “draw”. This suggests that Haney’s status was partly due to high guarantees rather than organic fan demand.

Roy Jones Jr believes Moses Itauma is the most “exhilarating heavyweight” since Mike Tyson, but he named one man who would perhaps derail his explosiveness.

Despite not having fought any top-level fighters, Itauma is widely regarded as a future world champion who can reign supreme for many years to come.

The 21-year-old easily scored his biggest win to date in March steamrolling the typically durable Jermaine Franklin in five rounds.

In this way, Itauma became a mandatory challenger to the winner of the Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois fight, which will take place on May 9 for Wardley’s WBO heavyweight world title.

However, at this point in his promising career, the precocious talent had yet to prove himself at a world-class level, and his only two notable victories were victories over the faded Dillian Whyte and the overmatched Demsey McKean.

Nevertheless, in both cases, in 2025 and 2024 respectively, Itauma finished in the first two rounds and showed his potential at the world level.

After passing the eye test, heavyweight legend Jones believes Itauma is capable of knocking out anyone in the heavyweight division except Alexander Usyk, who still holds the WBC, IBF and WBA world titles.

I’m talking to Grosvenor CasinoJones explains that Usyk’s elusiveness and experience will likely cause problems for the Briton, presenting him with a style he has never encountered before.

“Is Moses Itauma the most exhilarating heavyweight since Mike Tyson? Right now, yes, I think so. He has the explosive punching power that Mike Tyson had. If you can hit them before they hit you, most of the time you’ll knock them out.”

“That’s what Mike did. So if [Itauma] if he does this, he will knock out most heavyweights. However, in Usyk’s case, he’s a bit difficult to hit.

“Moses gives all the heavyweights a difficult time. You can’t say he beat them until you put them in front of him [him]because you haven’t actually seen it cracked yet, but it’s the only one I can see [giving] For him, Usyk is the biggest problem.”

While many consider Usyk vs. Itauma to be the most breathtaking fight in heavyweight boxing, it’s difficult to imagine the pair ever crossing paths in a competitive sense.