Deontay Wilder has reiterated his desire to face off against Anthony Joshua, which he believes remains the “number one fight in the world”.
The Bronze Bomber has not fought since defeat to Tyson Fury in Las Vegas last year but makes his return to the ring on Saturday against the 31-3 Robert Helenius in Brooklyn.
Wilder’s return to the ring is the start of a journey he hopes will lead him back to the heavyweight belts, held by Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, but he also harbours aspirations of fighting Joshua.
A bout between Wilder and Joshua would have previously been an encounter between the two top-ranked heavyweights across the globe but the pair’s standing has taken a hit following their back-to-back losses against Fury and Usyk respectively.
Despite that, Wilder is adamant that a clash is still the number one draw for boxing fans and wants to bring the fight to Africa.
“I would love to do that fight in Africa. It’s still the number one fight in the world for everyone. Everywhere I go, people always talk about me versus Joshua,” he told BBC Sport.
“We both have roots from there.I think it would be an amazing place to have it, to go back home.
“To go back to the motherland. A continent full of our people. I can just see that being an amazing fight, win, lose or draw.
“I think we’ll get the respect and love from all the people over there.”
Joshua and Wilder were previously in discussions for what would have been an undisputed bout in 2019 and 2020, while AJ has recently seen talks for a fight with Fury collapse as the pair were unable to agree to terms.
Wilder foresees no similar issues in discussions with the Brit though, adding: “We’re serious and we just need them to be serious as well. We tried to make the fight and it didn’t happen. It’s a new day and time. All things are possible.”
