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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Alex Pattle

Deontay Wilder: Fighting Anthony Joshua is matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’

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Deontay Wilder has insisted that he will fight Anthony Joshua before his career is done, saying it is simply a matter of ‘when’.

Wilder, 36, has not fought since being knocked out by Tyson Fury in the pair’s trilogy bout last October, but the American is set to return to the ring on Saturday to face Robert Helenius.

Ahead of the pair’s main event in Brooklyn, Wilder has said he fully expects to take on Joshua one day – in a heavyweight showdown that fans have craved for years.

Speaking on The Good Fight’s YouTube channel, the former WBC champion said: “I’m still in the business, Anthony Joshua’s still in the business.

“People always tell me: ‘When you gonna fight Joshua?’ That’s the biggest fight in the world between us, still.

“So, it ain’t ‘if’, it’s just ‘when’.”

Wilder (42-2-1, 41 knockouts) fought Joshua’s fellow Briton Fury to a controversial split draw in 2018 to retain the WBC heavyweight title, before suffering back-to-back stoppage losses to the “Gypsy King” in 2020 and 2021.

Those results marked the first defeats of Wilder’s professional career, and he will look to get back to winning ways against Swedish-born Finn Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) this weekend.

Helenius, 38, last fought on the undercard of Fury vs Wilder 3, knocking out Adam Kownacki for the second bout in a row.

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