Anthony Joshua wants Deontay Wilder fight: World heavyweight champion plots America bout

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John Dillon27 October 2017

Anthony Joshua says he is willing to go to America and fight rival heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder on his home turf.

The Briton, who defends his WBA, IBF and IBO world titles against late stand-in Carlos Takam in Cardiff on Saturday night, has yet to box professionally outside the UK.

But a megafight with Wilder, who defends his WBC title against Bermane Stiverne in New York on November 4, could take place in the States, with leading US fight broadcaster Showtime well on the way to establishing Joshua’s name across the Atlantic.

Joshua said: “I’m fine staying in the UK but America’s definitely at the top of the pyramid, for sure. I would be honoured to go out there and compete with Wilder. This is what the division needs and it’s what Wilder needs. So we’ll give it to them. What else am I going to do in 2018 provided that I don’t have any mandatories? I’ll be a free agent.”

Talk of a holding the fight in a stadium is a possibility but an indoor venue in Las Vegas would be more likely.

Joshua added: “If dealt with right by my promoter and the US, then I think it could be built to be something just like the Klitschko fight (at Wembley Stadium). It should be better and I can see it happening in the USA. If you came to Wembley, you saw what that was like. It was phenomenal. So do we want to create that again or should we go overseas and do something new? It’s good to have options.”

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn knows fighting in the US would increase his fighter’s global profile even further.

Hearn said: “It’s definitely part of the scrapbook to be produced in the years to come. If you want to try and change the game and break down boundaries, that includes America, Africa and the Middle East as well. It’s hard to leave the UK with 75,000 to 90,000 people attending. But Anthony Joshua is a global brand. He’s not British heavyweight champion - he’s a world heavyweight champion.

“The key now is to get the win in Cardiff and then in the weeks that follow put our plans together for 2018 and hopefully America is included in that.”

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