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Deontay Wilder is ready and willing to take on Anthony Joshua next, insisting it would be a \u201cmajor disaster\u201d if they never fought each other.<\/p>\n
Wilder and Joshua were unable to agree terms for an undisputed showdown when they held all four major world heavyweight titles between them, but speculation has been building recently that the two former champions could finally square-off in 2024.<\/p>\n
Joshua intimated last weekend the highly-anticipated bout could be part of a blockbuster card topped by Tyson Fury taking on Oleksandr Usyk next spring.<\/p>\n
Even though he has not competed since knocking out Robert Helenius inside one round 12 months ago \u2013 his first fight since losing a trilogy bout against Fury in October 2021 \u2013 Wilder is primed to face Joshua.<\/p>\n
\u201c(It is) a fight everyone is looking forward to and hopefully it happens and I\u2019m doing everything in my power to make it happen, and I\u2019m referring to the Anthony Joshua fight,\u201d Wilder said on Instagram.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnthony, you\u2019re getting it from the horse\u2019s mouth himself: I\u2019m here, I\u2019m ready to go.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard some things your promoter (Eddie Hearn) said that my last fight only lasted a short period of time and I haven\u2019t fought in a year and he doesn\u2019t know if I want to fight or not.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019m letting you know I\u2019m ready to fight \u2013 let\u2019s make this the best time of our lives. This would be a major disaster if we were never able to get in the ring and put our stamp down in history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite his recent inactivity, Wilder, who turned 38 on Sunday, is renowned for his ferocious punch power, with 42 of his 43 victories in 46 professional contests have been inside the distance.<\/p>\n
Joshua has rebounded from a pair of losses to Usyk, who snatched the Briton\u2019s WBA, IBF and WBO titles, with underwhelming performances in wins over Jermaine Franklin and Helenius this year.<\/p>\n
Joshua (26-3, 23KOs) is planning another tune-up in December before taking on former WBC champion Wilder, who rubbished suggestions his British rival might be biting off more than he can chew.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people think about classics and great fights, I want them to think about us as well,\u201d the American added. \u201cBeing able to do that, we\u2019ve got to get in the ring.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe silliest thing I\u2019ve heard is people saying you\u2019re not ready and that\u2019s the silliest thing because I don\u2019t believe that \u2013 I hope you\u2019re ready, I think you\u2019re ready. Let\u2019s make this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n