Klitschko, who has been out for a year and is pushing 41 years old, is gearing up to challenge Joshua for potentially two world championships on December 10 after missing out on a rematch with Tyson Fury.
Rekindling old glories has been at the forefront of the Ukrainian’s mind since Fury defeated him for the first time in over a decade last November and Wilder himself has been linked to battling the winner of a Joshua fight.
As ‘Dr. Steelhammer’ prepares to see how much is left in the locker, Wilder firmly believes it won’t be enough for Klitschko to regain his position at the top as the ‘Bronze Bomber’ says retirement should have been announced a lot sooner by the veteran.
“I just believe Klitschko’s time is coming to an end. Father time is coming for him and sometimes when father time hits, it’s time to get out of there,” Wilder exclusively told World Boxing News.
“Your mind will be telling you to do one thing but your body is doing the other as there’s a delay. I think Klitschko has that delay from so many years in the sport, along with his trainer Emanuel Steward passing away. He’s not having that teaching anymore, he’s under somebody else and probably just doing what he wants to do instead of listening to the other trainers.
“He’s really running it himself now, plus having a family and getting married. All that stuff is a lot and I think father time is knocking at the door. Sooner or later he’s going to realise that his time has come and now it’s gone.”
He went on: “The only mistake he made is that he didn’t retire on top. He should have retired on top, every champion wants to retire on top and now I think he’s searching for something, he wants his titles back. I don’t think he’s got a chance though because he’s not only got to go through Joshua, but he’s got to go through a Deontay Wilder as well too. I’m sure if he could accomplish that though he would then retire, but I know it won’t happen.
“Let’s be honest, Tyson Fury took that away from him and there’s no way he’s going to get that back,” added Wilder.
Rumours are rife Joshua v Klitschko could be a done deal as early as Friday once Fury’s situation has been fully sorted out, whilst Wilder will be keeping a close eye on proceedings with a future encounter in mind.
