Deontay Wilder has vowed to KO Luis Ortiz and move on to a heavyweight unification showdown with Anthony Joshua.
Wilder faces his toughest test to date as he defends his WBC world heavyweight title against unbeaten Luis Ortiz, but he already has his sights set on a unification showdown with Anthony Joshua.
Ortiz insists he can dethrone the Bronze Bomber when the two meet in New York on March 3, but Wilder is already vowing to challenge Joshua if the Briton wins his clash with Joseph Parker in Cardiff on March 31.
Wilder will be ringside as part of the Sky Sports commentary team for Joshua v Parker if he beats Ortiz – he’s 1/3 favourite with Sky Bet while Ortiz is a 12/5 outsider.
"I've been calling him out for almost two years now,” Wilder said of Joshua on Sky Sports. “A lot of people think this just started, but it didn't, it started years ago.”
Wilder must be careful not to take Ortiz too lightly though – the 38-year-old has 24 knockouts from 28 wins on his unblemished record and insists he’s not afraid of the champion.
"He's talking too much. He's going to have to back that up in the ring," said Ortiz. "He's going to knock me out? I want to watch him try. I'm not like those other guys he fought.
"He doesn't intimidate me. His trash talk makes me laugh. It's just a lot of noise. I'm hungry. He better take me seriously because he's going to find himself on the canvas before he knows it.
"I'm going to show the world who 'King Kong' is."
Will Wilder v Joshua happen?
If Wilder gets through his Ortiz test, it’s then over to Joshua, with the American champion at ringside, to do his part of the bargain and claim Parker’s WBO strap to add to his collection.
Joshua is a huge 1/9 favourite to dispose of Parker in Wales, with Parker being a 13/2 outsider with Sky Bet.
That would seemingly set up a huge unification bout with Wilder, and although the two sides have seemed miles apart in negotiations there now seems the will to make the fight happen.
"The big fight is me and Joshua, of course, and that's who I want," added Wilder.
The likes of Tyson Fury, David Haye and Dillian White are all keen to get a crack at AJ, but Wilder would be the huge mega-fight that boxing fans would demand.
Joshua is already the 2/5 favourite to win that potential meeting, given his impeccable record and also the fact that the fight will most likely be staged in the UK, while Wilder has been priced up as a 7/4 outsider by Sky Bet.
