By Edward Chaykovsky
WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (37-0, 36KOs) is willing to wait as long as necessary to do a fight with Tyson Fury (25-0, 18KOs).
Fury upset the entire boxing world last November, when he pulled off a stunning twelve round decision to hand Wladimir Klitschko his first career defeat in over a decade.
With the victory Fury captured the IBF, WBA, WBO, IBO world titles. After that title win, Fury mentally fell apart. He withdrew from two scheduled rematch dates with Klitschko, vacated his world titles and received a suspension of his boxing license for admittedly using cocaine - which he tested positive for in two separate drug tests.
In January, Fury actually made the trip to the Barcalys Center in New York City to watch Wilder retain his title with a brutal knockout of Artur Szpilka.
After the fight was over, Fury got in the ring and traded words with Wilder on nation television.
Wilder has a soft spot for Fury and hopes he fully recovers in the near future. He wants their showdown to happen - with or without a world title around Fury's waist.
"May God be with him, and I look forward to the return of Tyson Fury because we didn't promote that fight all year for nothing, trust me," Wilder exclusively told Sky Sports. "That one's got to happen, whether he's got a belt or not.
"I hope to see Tyson back in the ring, and I think he will return. I have prayed for his recovery. He's a great guy. You've got to understand a person - where they came from, and where they're trying to go. Sometimes people can come off harsh, especially when they're trying to prove stuff, especially in this sport. You've got to be a certain type of character sometimes. But sometimes guys will build a certain type of character then they can't turn it off. You've got to know how to turn that switch off.
"You're not that type of person, but when you try to build yourself and promote things, it may seem that way. You're only human, and a human can only take so much battering and disrespect from millions and millions of people. You're only one person and you can't battle the world."
Wilder is still recovering from injuries suffered in his July knockout of Chris Arreola. He is expected to return in early 2017.