Oluwatosin Enesi
Deontay Wilder, the American heavyweight boxer, has expressed confidence in knocking out British-Nigerian Anthony Joshua and has promised to do so in three rounds.
The Bronze Bomber is trying to get a fight with Andy Ruiz and Anthony Joshua in 2023 and prove he’s still the fighter he was before tasting defeat for the first time against Tyson Fury.
Wilder was supposed to face Joshua in Saudi Arabia in December, but there hasn’t been any official announcement so far. However, the Alabama native’s plans include a fight with Ruiz before facing Joshua.
The former WBC heavyweight champion didn’t bite his tongue when speaking about how Ruiz’s dad questioned the money offer his son got to fight Wilder.
“I didn’t talk to Andy’s daddy about any type of money whatsoever,” Wilder said.
“Andy’s gonna be 33 years old, he’s broke, can’t support his children because his daddy made decisions for him. Decisions that he should’ve made for himself”, he said.
“They’re taking about 50/50? You ain’t nowhere compared to me. Stop that. I and Andy are two different people. Andy was only champion in the blink of an eye. I’m a five-year, 10-title defence champion. What I possess is power, I put people on the edge of their seats every time,” Wilder said.
When asked for a prediction on the Joshua fight, Wilder gave no chance to the former heavyweight champion saying, “Joshua’s a three-round fight. People come to see my God-given talent.
“On the other hand, Andy, what are we seeing from him? A short, fat fighter with small hands that make him look fast. That’s it. The only reason this fight would be exciting is because they wanna see how fast I would knock him out. Andy’s a one-round fight,” he stated.
Meanwhile, promoter Eddie Hearn said that there are negotiations between Wilder and Joshua’s people with the Saudi moneymen to try and make a deal to fight Joshua.
“Wilder’s team is also in London. It shows you the keenness to get that done, and fingers crossed. We hope that we can agree on terms while they’re here, finalize the money, and move forward with that fight,” Hearn said.
Joshua could face Dillian Whyte this summer before a December bout against Wilder.
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