WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has challenged WBA and IBF champion Anthony Joshua to a Las Vegas clash on November 11 after Wladimir Klitschko announced his retirement from boxing.
Joshua, who stopped Klitschko in their epic Wembley encounter in April, was expected to fight the future Hall of Famer in a rematch, with the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas pencilled in on that date for it.
Now that Wladimir has walked away from the sport, Joshua must now find a new opponent for his next fight and Wilder has offered himself up.
“Eddie Hearn, I know you weren’t expecting Klitschko to retire like this man, he had all of us guessing. But don’t go pulling your hair out, weeping and moaning,” he said in a social media video.
.@EddieHearn @anthonyfjoshua pic.twitter.com/IdseqH2jJF
— Deontay Wilder (@BronzeBomber) August 4, 2017
“Listen, we’ve still got things going on. You once tried to sic your little poodle, Tony Bellew, on me until you realised my bite is just as big as my bark.
“Then you tried to lend me your little black spare tire, Dillian Whyte, knowing that after usage I wouldn’t even gain a yard. Let’s not mess about here mate [laughs].
“We’ve got an opportunity to turn a year into three months and make one of the biggest heavyweight title fights in history. I don’t want to hear nothing about mandatories, I’m sure the sanctioning bodies, all the sanctioning bodies, will overrule on this one. This fight is inevitable, so it will happen. So call, let’s go. We’ll be waiting.”
Joshua has been ordered to box both his IBF and WBA mandatories – Kubrat Pulev and Luis Ortiz respectively – while Wilder is proposing a unification bout, which would take precedence over any mandatory challenges. He faces one of his own in the form of Bermane Stiverne.
“Anthony Joshua, you once said if the people want it then you’re in. Do you still stand by that now? In three months time there can be a huge unification bout, winner take all on Nov 11 in Vegas.”
