WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs) wants IBF, IBO, WBA champion Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) to honor his word and fight him in a unification clash in the first quarter of the year.
According to Wilder, Joshua had made comments that he would promise to fight whoever the fans wanted him to fight - and the fans are asking for a unification with Wilder.
But there does not appear to be a lot of interest from Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, in doing that contest next. He would rather stage that fight next summer - after Wilder fight British contender Dillian Whyte on a February date in London.
Both champions were in action in recent weeks, with Wilder blasting out Bermane Stiverne last Saturday in Brooklyn and Joshua stopping Takam in ten rounds two weeks ago in Cardiff.
If Joshua takes a pass, Wilder will explore several other options for his next fight.
“In America we have a lot of up and coming guys – we have a lot of current guys right now – so I don’t want people to think that Joshua was my only option nor am I Joshua’s only option,” said Wilder on The Sports Bar.
“Like I said we are kings of the division, we have options. We need each other but we don’t need each other. We need each other to make the most massive heavyweight title fight in the history of time. But if he don’t want to fight then we can still go on with our lives and we can still do what we do.
“But I think people are going to demand that fight, the fans want that fight and Joshua has already given his word saying, if the fans want it, he wants it.
“Sometimes we only have our word and I am a man of my word. I have always said what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it – and I done it. Now it’s time for him to be a man of his word.”