Monday 26 March 2018 18:44, UK
All eyes are on Anthony Joshua this weekend and Carl Froch believes the menacing stateside threat of Deontay Wilder has cranked up the pressure more than ever...
There is always pressure on Joshua but thanks to Deontay Wilder, there is even more this time around.
A lot of people are asking questions. Is he coming over? When is he going to fight 'Josh' and if not, why not? All of a sudden, there is someone out there who is smashing people to bits and looking fantastic doing it.
Wilder is exciting. He has explosive power, he is awkward, he is dangerous and when he's got someone hurt he doesn't let them off the hook - unlike Wladimir Klitschko.
I said I wanted Wilder to make Joshua sweat a bit against Ortiz and he did just that. Now with the world watching him, the heat is definitely on 'Josh'
Regardless of what he says and puts out there, Wilder is big and scary and trust me, when 'Josh' and Rob McCracken sit down and watch a Deontay Wilder fight, they will know - 100 per cent - that it is a very dangerous fight.
He is going to look it at his fights, especially the last one against Luis Ortiz, and he will know he is dangerous.
I don't really understand why 'Josh' just disregards him, he seems to be happy to keep him waiting. Wilder is the one. The one we want to see him in with and the fight he needs to win.
Everyone is expecting 'Josh' to beat Joseph Parker and he should because he's bigger and has more experience at top level. Of course Parker won't be straightforward but we all assume Joshua will beat him, but who's next other than Wilder?
Maybe the big American, Jarrell Miller, but if that is the case, that will be his last easy shot, the last curve ball he can throw, because we all know who will be waiting. Then of course, Dillian Whyte has put himself top of the list, so maybe they will both have one more fight before facing each other.
'Josh' has to beat Parker, but this one is also about how he wins it. He really could send a message out to Wilder. Parker is unbeaten, a world champion - something Wilder hasn't faced - and if he does the job and looks really classy doing it, either in points or by smashing him to bits, that not only sends a message, it also takes the pressure off him.
There is a lot of heat on 'Josh'. I said I wanted Wilder to make him and Rob sweat a bit against Ortiz and he did just that. But now with the world watching him, another sold-out stadium all there to see him, against another world champion? The heat is definitely on.
The one thing about 'Josh' is, he is the one that can ease that. If we were talking about most other British fighters - including me - if you don't look great or entertain them, they let you know, but he has a different crowd.
Most of them are just Joshua fans full-stop but the pay-per-view, hardcore crowd, will need impressing. If he doesn't look good, they will certainly start demanding Wilder. If he puts on a performance we will all be calling for Wilder, but for the right reasons and that will give 'Josh' a bit more control over the fight we all want to see.
