Deontay Wilder revealed he told Anthony Joshua he is ready to set up a blockbuster heavyweight bout after his victory over Derek Chisora at The O2 on Saturday night.
Wilder briefly spoke to Joshua post-fight and was heard saying “he’s scared” after beating Chisora on points in the 50th outing of both fighters’ careers. He is already targeting Joshua for number 51. Wilder and Joshua came together more than once, and the American also walked past the Brit in the bowels of The O2 prior to the fight.
Addressing the encounter in his post-fight press conference, Wilder said: “It wasn’t an exchange. I mean, it wasn’t a few words. I dapped it up with him and said: ‘Now let’s get it on’. It was simple as that.”
“I’m ready for whoever. As long as these guys [are] in the heavyweight division, I’m here. You can call me ‘Mr Clean’, because I want to clean up the whole division,” Wilder added. He stressed the importance of his character to the division: “The heavyweight division is nothing without Deontay Wilder, the character that I bring, the things that I say… somebody that’s real, somebody that’s passionate about what he says and unapologetic for what he says, because I feel what I say and I mean what I say.”
Joshua was making his first public appearance since the deaths of close friends Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele when he arrived at The O2 to support Chisora. The two-time world heavyweight champion was a passenger in a fatal car crash in Nigeria on December 29, which killed Ghami and Ayodele. It remains to be seen if and when Joshua resumes his career, but a fight against Wilder — long touted but never agreed — would mark an eye-catching return.
‘Why not test him out?’ — Wilder open to Itauma bout
Wilder is also open to fighting rising British star Moses Itauma, who extended his record to 14-0 with a brutal knockout of Jermaine Franklin in Manchester last month. Speaking after beating Chisora, Wilder said of Itauma: “I’m in the heavyweight division, all these other characters are in the heavyweight division. Why not? I’m not dodging anyone. I’m a veteran in the game. I’m looking forward to fighting any and all, especially if the fans want to see it. I didn’t know who Moses was but I saw some of his highlights, and I saw his last fight against Franklin. Hell of a KO. He seems like a potential champion so why not test him out?”
Watch Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper and Ellie Scotney vs Mayelli Flores live on Sky Sports from 7pm on Sunday.