The WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has suggested that he wants to fight Anthony Joshua in America.

The suggestion has been made from Wilder, who has won all of his 39 fights with 38 knockouts, that Joshua will never become a global icon without facing him as AJ is still largely unknown in America.

Joshua has previously hinted that he might never need to fight in the US during his career, but Wilder insists that the two need each other if they both want to become icons.

Speaking to ESPN about a potential fight between the two, Wilder said: "He may have his country behind him and that's it, does he want to be remembered as a country-wide champion? Because he's not worldwide [champion].

“Over here in America they don't even know his name. They just know him as a big guy from England. That's fact.”

Wilder admits, however, that he is also still somewhat unknown in the UK, so a fight with Joshua would help to make his name to circulate more frequently across the pond.

"I need him and he needs me at the end of the day, unless he doesn't want to unify. Unless he wants to stay over his side of the pond and let people gravitate to him and be a fake sign of what he [says he] is,” he added.

“But he will never be a global icon. You will never be a world-wide figure without me. All roads lead to Deontay Wilder."

Despite this, he said that a potential matchup is still some way off and also thought that it was "laughable" that Eddie Hearn came to the US late last year without even making an offer to fight Joshua, describing it as "stalling" tactics.

"Everybody wants to see the fight," said Wilder.

"The only people that don't are his promoters. They already know how big of a risk this really is.

“They should be worried but how long do they really think the public, the fans of boxing are going to allow them to stay away from me? This is the biggest fight in our era."

Wilder is adamant that he will "take care of business" against Ortiz and hopes Joshua can do "his part" in defeating Joseph Parker on March 31 in Cardiff to set up a winner-takes-all unification fight.

"I am the most exciting, most entertaining fighter in the heavyweight division," added Wilder.

"Nobody in the heavyweight division is doing what I am doing. Nobody in history is doing what I am doing.”

Wilder makes a seventh defence of his belt against Luis "King Kong" Ortiz on March 3 at Barclays Center in New York, but a fight with Joshua is still what he craves.