Deontay Wilder reckons that Alexander Povetkin will present a tougher challenge for Anthony Joshua than many are giving him credit for.

Joshua is set to face the Russian at Wembley on September 22 and the Brit is heavily fancied to beat the veteran Povetkin (34-1, 24 KO’s).

However, Wilder - who is chasing a unification title clash against Joshua himself - will not be too surprised if his fellow world title holder does succumb to his first professional defeat.

“I think it’s definitely gonna be a difficult fight for Joshua,” Wilder told Boxing Scene. “I think Povetkin is a good fighter. I really do think he’s a good fighter. I think he’s a smart fighter at times in the ring.

"I do think he has problems with tall fighters, but he’s smart. If you give him the opportunity, he will capitalize on it and he will get you out of there.

The clash with Povetkin will be the sixth world title defence of Joshua's career.

Although the 28-year-old has grown in maturity and experience with each fight, Wilder thinks the pressure on him to perform is higher than ever.

The American added: “Joshua has so much on his mind, so much going on right now.

“He’s the man of his country. With that being said, when everybody knows you, you can be very miserable. Because everywhere he goes, of course they’re mentioning my name. He can’t get away from me.

“I think this is gonna be a difficult fight for him because I don’t really think his mindset is gonna be in the right place. With this Povetkin fight, the fans aren’t supporting him as strongly as they once were.”

Of course, it could have easily been Wilder who AJ was currently preparing to face had talks between the two camps not broke down.

Instead, Wilder now looks likely to be involved in another mouth-watering encounter against Tyson Fury in November or December.