By Keith Idec
Deontay Wilder issued a challenge to Anthony Joshua through his Instagram account Thursday night.
In the video directed at Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn, Wilder said he is willing to face Joshua in what would be a huge heavyweight championship unification fight November 11 in Las Vegas. England’s Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) thought he was headed toward a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko that night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but the 41-year-old Klitschko (64-5, 53 KOs) announced his retirement Thursday.
Hearn said he expects Joshua to instead make a mandatory defense of his IBF heavyweight title against Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev (25-1, 13 KOs) on October 28 or November 11, probably at Principality Stadium in Cardiff Wales. Handlers for Wilder, meanwhile, are trying to finalize a November 4 fight against Cuban contender Luis Ortiz (27-0, 23 KOs, 2 NC) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said Wednesday that the Mexico City-based sanctioning organization is trying to work out an arrangement with Canada’s Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KOs), Wilder’s mandatory challenger, that would allow Wilder to face Ortiz next.
Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs), of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, beat Stiverne by unanimous decision to win the WBC title in January 2015. Due to the one-sided nature of their first fight in Las Vegas, television executives haven’t expressed much interest in airing their rematch.
Wilder said during the video, however, that he is sure sanctioning bodies would allow him and Joshua to delay making mandatory defenses if they were willing to fight each other next.
“Eddie, I know y’all wasn’t expecting Klistchko to retire like this, man,” Wilder said. “Sh*t, he had all of us guessing, really. But don’t go pulling your hair out, weeping and moaning. You know, we still can have this day going on. Listen, you once tried to sick your little poodle, Tony Bellew, on me, until you realized my bite is as big as my bark. Then you tried to lend me your little black spare tire, Dillian Whyte, knowing that after usage, I wouldn’t even gain a yard.
“Yo, we got an opportunity to turn a year into three months and make it one of the most biggest heavyweight title fights in history, that [is] if y’all not balk, balk, balk, balk, balk. And I don’t wanna hear nothing about mandatories, for I’m sure the sanctioning bodies, all the sanctioning bodies, will overrule on this one. Man, this fight is inevitable, so it will happen. So call us, girl. We’ll be waiting.”
Wilder added a message to Joshua to the Instagram video.
It read: you once said if the people wants it then [you’re] in. Do you still stand by that now? In a 3 month time there can be a huge UNIFICATION BOUT winner take all on Nov. 11 in Vegas.
I got my own thing that’s going down soon so no peer pressure! BUT I DARE YOU TO FIGHT ME IN AMERICA IN NOVEMBER!! My Team is a phone call away. We will not contact you but we’re always available
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
