Deontay Wilder names the one man he ‘must’ face before retirement

Deontay Wilder still has his sights set on one man in particular before hanging up the gloves.

Wilder was once the long-time WBC heavyweight champion of the world, making 10 defences of the belt over a five-year period, including knockout wins over the likes of Luis Ortiz and and Bermane Stiverne.

He lost his belt during an epic trilogy with Tyson Fury, and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has struggled from that point onwards, suffering further defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang before rebounding with a win over the unheralded Tyrrell Herndon in June.

Recently, Wilder has been linked to a shock fight with heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk after the unified champion called out the 40-year-old for a fight, but there is still one other big name that the American has his eyes on.

Speaking to Boxing Scene, Wilder revealed that he still wants to take on Anthony Joshua before he retires from the sport.

“Almost definitely [I’ll fight Joshua]. Hands down. I’m a fighter. He’s a fighter. I’m still active. He’s still active. And that’s one of the biggest fights people still want to see. You know what I mean?

“That’s a big fight people still want to see. And like I said, we both are still in this business. And so as long as we’re still in this business, we must meet.”

Joshua and Wilder have been rumoured to face one another for close to a decade, ever since they were both reigning world heavyweight champions.

The Brit recently claimed a sixth round stoppage win over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in their controversial fight, and it appears AJ could now be on a collision course for a domestic showdown with former Wilder foe Fury, but a potential clash between Joshua and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ may still be one that fight fans are keen to see.