Deontay Wilder has hit out at Eddie Hearn's suggestions that he is pricing himself out of a lucrative unification fight with Anthony Joshua.
The next year is set to be a mouth-watering one for boxing's heavyweight division with WBA, IBO and IBF champion Joshua targeting fights with Wilder and Joseph Parker - the WBC and WBO holders - to unify the belts.
As things stand, a bout between Joshua and Parker appears nearer to being announced, with the Briton's promoter Hearn claiming recently that a fight was close to being agreed upon.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that Joshua and Parker have finally agreed to the financial terms of their contest - with a date of March 31 being targeted for the unification showdown.
Hearn also suggested other opponents are expecting too much, saying: "AJ is that Willy Wonka fight - the golden ticket, the one everybody wants. A lot of people are talking 'I want this, I want that' but if you really want it be realistic and come get it."
But Wilder says the reason that a fight with Joshua has not happened is because Hearn does not want it to.
"That's just something Eddie Hearn has to say. Because he really does not want this fight. But he done said too much. So the next thing to do, strategy-wise, is to put it [on] the purses," Wilder told Boxing News.
The undefeated puncher had recently stated in an interview that he wanted an even 50-50 split with Joshua or else the fight would never come off. Parker is going to receive a split percentage falling somewhere between 30-35%. However, he will receive 55% if he manages to defeat Joshua.
For the moment, Wilder is standing firm on his financial demands.
He recently stated that it shouldn't surprise anyone if he deals with Joshua in a single round - in a similar fashion to what he did to Bermane Stiverne last month in Brooklyn.
"I think I'm the better fighter. Period. I don't think he's going to survive in that ring with me. And I tell people, don't be surprised if I knock him out in the first round," Wilder said.
"If I'm talking a lot of rubbish, as they say, then hey, let's find out."
