WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs) is not planning to make things easy for IBF, IBO, WBA champion Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs).
Wilder is hungry to get Joshua in the ring and he's been verbally assaulting Joshua in numerous interviews in the last few weeks.
“I want to keep talking, I want to keep sounding like I’m arrogant, or cocky, or whatever,” Wilder told the Press Enterprise. “I want them to have enough pressure to say, ‘Yo, make this fight happen and shut this American boy up.'”
According to Wilder, even the UK fans are starting to pressure Joshua, had is promoter Eddie Hearn, to make the fight.
“I want it just as bad as the fans want it,” said Wilder. “I want this fight. I want to prove that I am the best, that I know I am. I can say it, I can say I’m the most feared, I can say I hit the hardest. I can say all these different things over and over again, but right now it’s just words without proving it.
“And people say that Joshua is the best, then I want to prove that I am the best, so let the best fight each other. That’s what I want to give to the fans, so I want it ASAP.”
But Wilder, who earlier this month destroyed Bermane Stiverne in a single round, doubts the fight will happen next.
He believes Joshua and his promoter are more interested in facing opponents who are not as dangerous - but because of Joshua's popularity those contests will still rake in millions in revenue.
“I don’t think they’re going to make that fight happen as soon as possible due to the fact that my performance that I had and what Joshua had is like day and night, so they feel like they have to redeem themselves. They’re making so much easy money fighting no-name guys, why risk?” Wilder said. “They want to keep the gravy train going.”