Undefeated WBC king Deontay Wilder has accused Anthony Joshua’s management of “ducking” him and says he is prepared to come to the United Kingdom to make the heavyweight mega-fight happen.
Wilder, 32, defended his WBC title with a first-round knockout of Bermane Stiverne last weekend and has set his sights on Joshua’s WBA, IBO and IBF belts.
But he believes the Briton’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is stalling.
Joshua, 28, defended his belts by beating Carlos Takam in Cardiff and Wilder says he is willing to cross the Atlantic to face the former Olympic champion.
Joshua, who could also fight New Zealand’s Joseph Parker for the WBO belt, says Hearn is preparing an offer for Wilder.
“If Wilder’s not making an offer, we’ll do it on my terms,” Joshua told Britain’s Press Association. “Everyone says they want to fight and then sits back and waits for me to do all the homework.
“What we then have to do – which Eddie’s doing – is fly out to the United States to make time. There’s one thing talking and acting, but negotiations don’t happen over social media. We’re now making the moves forward.”
Hearn would first like to see Joshua in the ring with British contender Dillian Whyte to further build a Joshua unification for next summer.
And there are a number of Joshua fans who believe the American puncher should face Whyte next - but Wilder believes that is simply fear talking.
"Any fan that mention, ‘he still gotta go do Dillian Whyte’, that’s the fan that’s biting their fingernails. Their legs are shaking. Their mouth is quivering. They can’t sleep. They’re fearful of what’s to come. This American king from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is going to destroy everything that they worship and praise. Everything is going to come tumbling down. That’s why they say that," Wilder told The42.
"And if they want that fight, then this king has no problem accepting that fight; all they gotta do is get their precious Eddie Hearn to put Anthony Joshua on the other end of that bridge, because I will cross the bridge. Dillian Whyte is just the troll on the bridge, and I will knock this troll back under his bridge. I just want Joshua at the other end, because I’m coming. I’m coming regardless, though."
