Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder 43-2-1 (42) says that former two-time WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua 26-3 (23) demanded $50 million to face him only to turned down the fight when it was offered to him at that price.
The 38-year-old knockout puncher from Tuscaloosa, Alabama made the comments after it was announced this week that he would face former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker 33-3 (23) at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 23.
The mega-card will be headlined by Britain’s Joshua, 34, up against Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin 26-1 (14).
If both Wilder and Joshua win, it is expected they will finally fight in 2024.
“He asked for $50 million and we provided that for him and he did not take it. And the only way you can disregard that is to make a mockery of it, try to make a joke of it, try to make it seem to the public that it’s not real,” Wilder told The Daily Mail.
“It’s an ‘oh shit’ moment. They came up with $50 million. That’s why they don’t have Joshua speaking a lot on his own behalf and if he does speak he always slips up and says things that are not appealing to his people. And they have to play clean up.
“It’s his management that have held him back from fighting me because, you know, he’s a fighter. It’s been over six years [waiting for the fight to be made]. But there comes a point in time we’re you’re like, ‘forget it’. Many times he wanted to fight, he wanted to accept it but his handlers didn’t want it because Joshua is the money-maker for the company. And if he goes down, so does the business.”
Joshua’s former trainer Robert Garcia believes his ex-boxer has all the physical tools to beat Wilder, but stressed he would need to be switched on mentally for the entire 12 rounds to win the fight.
“Look, a fighter like Anthony Joshua, he’s just natural, he’s a natural athlete, people say he focuses too much on weights but he doesn’t even do weights,” Garcia said to Little Giant Boxing.
“He’s just a natural muscular dude. He runs a lot. The skills he has, the power he has, could beat anybody.
“For him, it’s more about being mentally prepared. If he’s mentally prepared he’s unstoppable.
“When it comes to talent, he’s probably the best out there. But if somebody has doubts mentally, then there’s gonna be a problem, but if he’s able to correct that, he could beat any of those heavyweights out there.
“Of course [I give him a shot against Wilder.] Wilder’s also had some bad losses, Fury beat him up pretty bad. You don’t know if Wilder is the same anymore, a jab could knock him out. That happens in boxing. One knockout could change your whole career.”
