Anthony Joshua has vowed to take on Deontay Wilder after his fight against Alexander Povetkin.
The heavyweight ruler meets the Russian mandatory challenger this weekend in London after originally turning down a $50 million offer to face the American.
Fan disappointment was relieved somewhat when Wilder agreed to fight Tyson Fury in December and Joshua is focusing on landing the winner after Saturday.
“When I turned professional, Wilder and Fury were five years ahead of me so I looked to those guys and thought, ‘What are they up to in their career?'” said Joshua.
“Now I’m on my journey. I’ve surpassed what they’ve done. I’ve set a new level of what should be done in the heavyweight division.
“Everyone knows the heavyweight division could be one punch that can change the course of history. So that’s what keeps my eyes on the prize.
“It’s been a difficult camp – you know how it goes – we hope it pays off because every win takes you the next step. One foot wrong and you’re at the start of the pecking order again.
“With Wilder, I realized that there’s been a lot of talking and he’s done a lot of hard work. Ultimately, when we’re all in the same division, we all have to fight.
“We’ll get it on as soon as the time is right. Time doesn’t wait for no man and time didn’t wait for us to get our negotiation together so we have to keep it moving with Povetkin.”
WILDER
On the failed negotiations, the Watford man added: “After I fought Carlos Takam, Wilder called me out. He said I’ve been dodging him but I had never heard a word from Wilder before then.
“I’ve ended every fight thinking I’ll fight Wilder next. If I win this fight, I’ll definitely secure a fight for Wilder. I’m going to win this fight to fight Wilder.
“I’m going to fight him regardless so I’m going to focus on Povetkin. Don’t be cautious, just take out Povetkin like I would any other opponent,” he stated.
DATES
WBN have been informed by Wilder’s co-manager Shelly Finkel that talks will not begin with Joshua again until 2019. This means Joshua will have to delay annnouncing his opponent for April until at least January should he 100% want that fight next.
A more likely scenario would be Joshua v Whyte in April, his IBF mandatory in the summer and the winner of Wilder v Fury at the back end of 2019 or spring of 2020.
