Deontay Wilder has come out today to confirm he’s NOT retiring and he’ll continue still wants to fight Anthony Joshua on March 9th as previously planned. Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) insists he won’t retire after his twelve round unanimous decision loss to Joseph Parker last Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Wilder admits that he’s disappointed by his loss to Parker (34-3, 23 KOs), but he’s not going to let it stop him. He’s going to come back from this, and he wants the Joshua fight next in Saudi Arabia to fight in front of his friends in the Kingdom.
Deontay feels that Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn are using the IBF belt as an excuse for them to duck a fight against him. Hearn repeatedly said last Saturday night after Joshua’s win against his old sparring partner Otto Wallin, that AJ wants to fight for the IBF title against Filip Hrgovic once the title becomes vacant after Tyson Fury faces Oleksandr Usyk in February.
Deontay defiant
“I’ve got to find my killer instinct back. I’m too at peace; I’m too happy. When I had that dog in me, nobody had a chance. I will be a two-time heavyweight world champion,” said Wilder to 78SPORTSTV, making it clear he won’t retire after his loss to Joseph Parker last Saturday night.
Wilder doesn’t say how he’s going to get his killer instinct back, as that’s something you usually have in you. If you lose it, it generally means you’ve reached the end of your career.
The former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder is 38, and it’s not realistic to think he’s going to be the killer he once was.
Rekindling the fire
“I just know he doesn’t want to fight the best of the best,” said Wilder about Anthony Joshua. “That ain’t hating. That ain’t dislike. He didn’t want to break bread with me, and we could have made great money together and still can.”
Joshua doesn’t appear to want to fight Wilder now that he’s lost, and it’s likely he’ll face Filip Hrgovic next. He’s ranked #1 with the IBF and the guy that Joshua would need to face if the belt becomes vacant.
“Like I said, March 9th, the fight can still be on. It can still go on,” said Deontay about his still wanting to face Joshua. “We can still fight because they already said win, lose, or draw. But they’re already talking about the belt name [IBF], and this is the perfect way to get out.”
Hearn is going to need to give Joshua the green light if he’s going to face Wilder on March 9th because right now, it’s looking like Hrgovic will be next.
“I want to give the fans what they want to see. There’s a difference between being born a champion and when you’re made one. When you’re made one, you’re very selective in who you pick. You navigate really carefully through the jungle,” said Wilder.
It’s difficult to know who the boxing public wants Joshua to fight on March 9th. It’s safe to say that it’s not Wilder or Hrgovic. The fans would like to see Joshua fight one of these heavyweights next:
– Zhilei Zhang
– Jared Anderson
– Daniel Dubois
Joshua likely won’t agree to fight any of those guys because they’re all dangerous, and he could lose to them if he’s not mentally focused. Those guys could beat Joshua even if he’s at his best, firing on all cylinders.
“When you’re born the King, you don’t give because you’re the King. I’m a born King and he’s [Joshua] a made King, and if not, it would have been happened,” said Wilder.
