Eddie Hearn, promoter for IBF, IBO, WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs), makes it clear that his boxer is very eager to step in the ring with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs).
This past Saturday night, Wilder recovered from a disastrous seventh round, to score a knockout over Luis Ortiz in the tenth.
Joshua is back in the ring on March 31, in a unification with WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker at Principality in Cardiff, Wales.
Hearn watched Wilder's win over Ortiz, and gave him credit for escaping the jaws of defeat to secure a knockout victory in sensational fashion.
"Saturday was a great fight and Deontay showed plenty of heart," Hearn told Sky Sports. "He hardly won a round outside of the fifth and looked finished in the seventh. It was a great finish and a big night for him.
"The fight with Anthony Joshua is inevitable, but AJ must win on March 31, and that is the only focus right now. I see the Joseph Parker fight as just as tough as the Wilder fight, so it would be foolish to look past him."
Wilder believes, that once Joshua beats Parker, he will run away from the fight.
Hearn says that won't happen. While the veteran promoter will not confirm if Wilder will be next, he indicates that both champions will face each other in a high stakes unification. There is talk that Joshua will defend his world title in the summer in the United States, possibly against Jarrell Miller.
"You don't have to worry about AJ wanting fights like this - his track record speaks for itself. This is his second unification fight and it's his 21st fight. Others talk about unifications and 'one champ', but what are they actually doing about it?," Hearn said.
"We look forward to welcoming Deontay Wilder to Cardiff on March 31 for what will be a very special night."
