Deontay Wilder hopes to revive £100m Anthony Joshua fight and says September blockbuster at Wembley ‘turns me on’
DEONTAY WILDER hopes to revive his super-fight with Anthony Joshua behind enemy lines.
The American blew his £100million deal to face AJ in Saudi Arabia in March following a shock defeat to Joseph Parker just months earlier.
Joshua is now primed for a UK homecoming bout in September at Wembley and the door remains open for an opponent.
And Wilder hopes to redeem himself so he can put years of rivalry to bed by finally sharing the ring with his Great British rival.
He told Sportsbook Review: “F*** yeah, it turns me on.
“I’ve been in situations like that when I fought the gold medalist in Moscow. We were right there in the lion’s den.
“When you come out into an arena with nothing but Russians and you can feel the breath coming off their mouths ‘Russia, Russia, Russia’ and you can feel the wind off their breath reaching the spikes of your neck hair as you walk in knowing you have got nobody there to represent you.
“You are behind enemy lines and you get a great adrenaline rush. That’s an amazing feeling, so I have no problem coming to London.
“It would be amazing for me, but the only thing that would be different in coming to Russia than the UK is I actually have major fans in the UK, and I think they’re going to show up and represent me, even though I’m fighting their countryman.”
Joshua, 34, beat Otto Wallin, 33, in December to keep his side of the bargain.
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But just moments beforehand, Wilder, 38, fell to defeat to Parker, 32, to blow the super-fight.
AJ instead went onto knockout replacement Francis Ngannou, 37, while Wilder now returns on June 1 against Zhilei Zhang, 41.
And the plot thickened after he was selected by Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn to represent him in the 5v5 tournament against Frank Warren’s selects.
Wilder has refused to take his eye of a blockbuster away day against Londoner Joshua but first he must avoid another interim defeat.
He said: “I want it. I’ve never ran from a fight, I never shied away from the fight, no matter what you’ve heard over the years.
“I’ve never run from anyone, I’ve never dodged anyone, I’ve taken the short end of the sticks just to make fights happen, that’s the God’s honest truth.
“I’m here, and when I’ve done what I’m supposed to, let’s get this fight on.
“I want the biggest fights possible that can be made, but it all relies on June 1. I will pack my bags and come to Wembley happily.
“When I come to the UK I am welcomed with open arms, it’s amazing to see the people and to get the gratitude and hospitality I get. It makes me feel like it’s my second home.”