Deontay Wilder has officially signaled his interest in fighting Anthony Joshua through a video on social media. The American heavyweight recently turned thirty-eight and appears insistent on fighting Joshua after his negotiations with Andy Ruiz Jr. apparently fell through. Wilder has not fought since October of last year and seems intent on ensuring that his next fight will be one of the biggest of his career.
A match between Deontay Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KO’s) and Anthony Joshua (26-3, 23 KO’s) has been wanted for years, ever since the two heavyweights held their respective world titles and could have fought each other in the first undisputed title fight of the four-belt era. However, due to a complex set of circumstances, this fight was never made.
This year, reports surfaced regarding a mega-fight between Joshua and Wilder, but it never seemed to actually materialize. Most recently, Eddie Hearn seemed to hint that the match-up was no longer on the cards, but Wilder refuted this notion and expressed his desire to fight Joshua in a personal video posted on his social media.
“There is a fight that everyone is looking forward to, and hopefully it happens,” Wilder said.
“I’m doing everything in my power to make it happen, and I’m referring to the Anthony Joshua fight. So, Anthony, you’re hearing it personally from the horse’s mouth itself; I’m here, I’m ready… I’m ready to go!“
“I heard some things that your promoter, Eddie Hearn, said about my last fight, that I haven’t fought for a year and he doesn’t know if I want to fight or not. But I’m letting you know right now, right here, I’m ready to fight. I’m ready to get into that ring,” Wilder continued, referring to an interview Eddie Hearn held last weekend where he questioned the PBC’s matchmaking regarding Deontay Wilder.
“Let’s make this the best time of our lives. It will be a major disaster if we would never be able to get in the ring and put our stamps down in history, bro. When people think about classic and great fights, I want them to think about us, and to be able to do that, we have to get into the ring.“
Wilder had previously been in talks to face Andy Ruiz Jr. (35-2, 22 KO’s), but after the WBC’s cancellation of their order for them to fight, and negotiation between the two falling down, it now seems like Anthony Joshua is the next opponent on his list.
With Wilder’s official callout, a response is likely to be expected soon from either Anthony Joshua, Eddie Hearn, or both. Whichever the case, the ball seems to be in Team Joshua’s court now, and it will be highly interesting to observe what the ensuing reply will be, as the mega-fight that had most recently been tipped to occur in December might actually happen.
