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‘Everyone wants to see my fight against Wilder’

Anthony Joshua has revealed he has already held talks to fight Deontay Wilder in 2020 in order to try and delay a THIRD bout between the American and Tyson Fury.

Anthony Joshua displays his IBF, WBA and WBO crowns. He says he has thrown a ‘curveball’ offer to fight Deontay Wilder this year<br />Photo: TWITTER/ANTHONYFJOSHUA

Anthony Joshua has revealed he has already held talks to fight Deontay Wilder in 2020 in order to try and delay a THIRD bout between the American and Tyson Fury.

Wilder holds the WBC belt, the one title missing from Joshua’s collection of IBF, WBA and WBO crowns and a fight with Wilder – as long as he beats Fury on February 22 – would provide an opportunity to unify the heavyweight division.

But Joshua believes that Fury and Wilder could turn their rivalry into a trilogy and fight for a third time before the end of 2020, something Joshua has moved to try and prevent.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Joshua said: ‘Everyone wants Wilder to win because [a fight with me] is what everyone wants to see. Wilder has a great right hand, I have a great left hand. It is a great boxing match.

“We had a meeting about that. It has great potential. I heard [Wilder and Fury] have a third fight lined up towards the end of the year but we have to throw a curveball in there.

“Something that gets Wilder’s attention providing he wins so that he thinks to himself: “Even though I have a rematch clause, I’ll see how I can manipulate my contract, get out of it, and fight for the undisputed championship”.’

That said, Joshua wants Fury to defeat Wilder in Los Angeles next month so that he can organise a unifying fight in England. Joshua and Wilder are fighting on the west coast after their draw in 2018.

“I’m supporting Fury because imagine the local kids being able to watch the undisputed championship fight on their doorstep. I’d love it to be here in the UK.’ Joshua said, before firing a parting shot at the Gypsy King.

“He bet on Charles Martin to beat me, he bet on Joseph Parker to beat me! He’s a bit of a waffler. Fury does what Fury does. He said that he spoke to Conor McGregor on the phone? That was a lie as well!’

While Wilder and Fury get it on for the second time in LA, Joshua is honing the details of a fight against one of his mandatory challengers in either Oleksandr Usyk or Kubrat Pulev.

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