Deontay Wilder has long been advocating for a fight with heavyweight boxing king Anthony Joshua, and the match-up has never been more likely than it is now.
Wilder comes off a successful WBC title defense over Victor Ortiz last month, while Joshua comes off yet another victory in his undefeated career against New Zealand's Joseph Parker. After his victory, Joshua now holds the IBF, WBA, IBO, and WBO heavyweight crowns.
He said following his victory over Parker that he wants to share the ring with either Wilder of Tyson Furry next. Joshua is not interested in hyping up a fight, and is more focused on the business aspect of things.
Joshua's manager, Eddie Hearn, says Joshua is open to fighting any challenger next - but won't overpay any opponent when it comes to negotiations.
In a recent interview with Boxing Scene, Wilder said that he knows fans want to see him fight Joshua next, and reveals there's one reason Joshua hasn't accepted the fight - because he's not his own boss (quotes via Boxing Scene):
“I’m gonna make my money regardless,” Wilder told BoxingScene.com. “My family’s gonna eat regardless.
"But at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, if this fight don’t never be made, the world will know why it wasn’t made.
"It won’t be because of Deontay Wilder. It’ll be because of Anthony Joshua and his team. I’m my own boss. I say who I wanna fight. He’s not his own boss.
“What is he doing? If he was his own boss, he would make the decision. He let everybody else speak for him.
"I say what I want. Why can’t he do the same? People are getting tired, man, and I’m just gonna wash my hands of this situation.
"I’m gonna let the people, let the fans, let the reporters, I’m gonna let everybody that’s dealing with boxing come out and smoke them out of there.
“We’re not chasing nobody,” Wilder said. “We’re not gonna be running down nobody because it’s not supposed to be this way.
"He’s a champion, I’m a champion and, you know, the best are supposed to fight the best. It shouldn’t be this hard.
"They’re being so childish and they’re making people lose interest in this sport because of these same tactics.
"We’ve seen these things before, where people stall out fights and try to make it bigger and better.
“No, this fight is worth everything right now. It’s ready to go right now. The hype is on it right now. That’s all people talk about every day, this fight right now.
"And all these stalling tactics, it’s enough. I’m ready. There’s no denying that I want the fight. You know I want it. I’ve been saying that.
"I’ve been stressing that. I just need them to accept this fight, accept the terms, give us the location and the date, and we’re there.”
What are your thoughts on Wilder's comments regarding a possible fight with Anthony Joshua? Do you think this fight will happen at all this year? Or will Joshua opt to fight a different opponent instead? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below!
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