Could we see Anthony Joshua v Deontay Wilder in September?

The second half of September is expected to see a major card promoted at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

Anthony Joshua has been confirmed to have his second fight of the year on that bill. His first saw him have a stunning two-round victory over Francis Ngannou. Could it be the show where we finally get to see him face Deontay Wilder? It's all down to the American and whether he can re-establish himself as a true contender for the heavyweight title.

Wilder has a highest ranking of seventh at present and that's for the WBC title he used to hold. He's not even in the top ten with the WBO and that's perhaps understandable considering his recent form.

His last fight saw him put in one of the worst performances of his career. He took on former WBO champion Joseph Parker and was soundly beaten. We're used to seeing Wilder struggle in fights before landing his heavy punches and stopping his opponent. That just never looked like happening against Parker.

There's no rematch with the New Zealander; instead, Wilder is facing Zhilei Zhang in Saudi Arabia on June 1. Betting sites have Zhang as an odds-on favourite to win, a situation Wilder isn't used to. Betting companies also offer special price boosts and free bet deals on this and upcoming events.

Zhang also lost to Parker in his last bout, losing his grip on the interim WBO title. He put up a stronger performance than Wilder did, so can he beat Wilder in June and then possibly face Joshua in September?

The Chinese boxer has a thunderous punch and twice put Parker down. One judge had the scores level and that's a much better effort than WIlder made. One judge gave Parker every round against Wilder and the closest card still had him winning by eight points.

What therefore must Wilder do to beat Zhang in June? He admits that this fight is his "last stand.” Not only did he lose to Parker this year, but three fights against Tyson Fury produced a controversial draw and two inside-the-distance defeats. Reflecting on being beaten by Joseph Parker on points the former WBC champion said that he had lost his "love, passion and hunger” for boxing. He'll need to recapture that if he wants to beat Zhang in June.

That's not the most accurate statement you’ll hear this year. He has plenty to lose in this fight. If Wilder loses to Parker and Zhang in the space of a few months, then it's going to be difficult for him to get back into title contention.

A fight with Joshua in September would be unlikely if he loses a second successive fight. Wilder still believes that is a fight which will happen one day. He needs to get a big win under his belt though, even if it is a fight we'd all still love to see.

Zhang is in a similar situation after his loss to Joseph Parker. His two biggest wins were both over Joe Joyce. That's an opponent whose fragility has been exposed, even though he had become WBO interim champion.

The Chinese boxer is three years older than Wilder and has also lost to Filip Hrgovic. Another loss in June would put him in a situation where he'd just become a potentially dangerous opponent rather than a title contender.

He respects Wilder and has described him as "the heaviest puncher in boxing.” Zhang knows he has to be careful but says: "When the opportunity shows itself, I will not hold back." He's putting on weight for this upcoming fight so his punches might be even heavier.

Zhang weighed 291 and a half pounds against Parker. Wilder weighed only 213 pounds when he faced the New Zealander.

Also on the June 1 card is a bout between Filip Hrgoic and Daniel Dubois. Anthony Joshua will be showing plenty of interest in this fight too. The winner could well be his opponent in September rather than Wilder or Zhang and there might even be a world title on the line.

Hrgovic is the mandatory challenger for the IBF title. He's been patiently waiting for a shot at the title and has remained unbeaten with wins over some fairly low-calibre opposition. If the Usyk v Fury fight leads to a rematch, the IBF are likely to declare their title vacant. That is expected to see the winner of Hrgovic v Dubois taking on Joshua for the vacant title in September.

June looks like being an exciting month for fans of heavyweight boxing. September is warming up nicely too but just who will Anthony Joshua be fighting?