Deontay Wilder has revealed he has told Anthony Joshua he is ready to set up a blockbuster heavyweight bout following his win over Derek Chisora at the O2 on Saturday night.
Wilder spoke briefly to Joshua after the fight and was heard saying he was “scared” after defeating Chisora on points in the 50th match of both fighters’ careers, but he is already targeting Joshua for No. 51.
Wilder and Joshua have been together numerous times, with the American walking past the Briton in the back of the O2 Arena before the fight.
Wilder said of the matchup in his post-fight press conference: “It wasn’t an exchange of words. I mean, it wasn’t a couple of words. I just talked to him and said, ‘Okay, let’s get started.’ It was very simple.”
Wilder celebrates victory over Chisora
“I’m ready for whoever comes. As long as they’re in the heavyweight division, I’m here. You can call me ‘Mr. Clean,’ because I want to clean up the whole division.”
Anthony Joshua smiles while watching Chisora vs. Wilder from ringside.
“The heavyweight division is nothing without Deontay Wilder. It’s the character that I bring and what I say. What other fighters do you know who make things go viral from various interviews and other things they say? I don’t know, not one.”
“That being said, you need that type of character. You need someone who is authentic, who is passionate about what they say, and who isn’t unapologetic about what they say. Because I feel what I say and I mean what I say.”
“Why not try him?” – Wilder open to fight Itauma
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Following his split decision victory over Chisora, Wilder spoke about who he might face next. He would also be open to facing British star Moses Itauma.
Joshua arrived at the O2 to support Chisora, making his first public appearance since the deaths of close friends Sheena Ghami and Latif ‘Rats’ Ayodele.
Joshua, a two-time world heavyweight champion, was a passenger in a fatal traffic accident in Nigeria on December 29 that killed Gami and Ayodele.
It remains to be seen if and when Joshua will resume his career, but a long-touted but never-agreed fight with Wilder would definitely be a high-profile return.
But Wilder is open to fighting rising heavyweight Moses Itauma, who improved his record to 14-0 with a brutal KO of Jermaine Franklin in Manchester last month.
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Itauma scored a “beautiful” knockout to stop Jermaine Franklin in the fifth round of the bout at Manchester’s Coop Live Arena. Photo provided by: X @DAZN
After defeating Chisora, Wilder said of Itauma:
“I’m not avoiding anyone. I’m a veteran in this game. I’m looking forward to fighting any opponent, especially if the fans want to see it.”
“I didn’t know who Moses was, but I watched some of his highlights and I saw his last fight with Franklin, which was a hell of a KO.
“He seems like a potential champion, so why not give him a try?”
Watch Caroline Dubois v Terry Harper and Ellie Scotney v Mayeli Flores live on Sky Sports from 7pm on Sunday.
