Deontay Wilder says Anthony Joshua fight in London “turns me on”

Deontay Wilder has said that the thought of fighting Anthony Joshua in London “turns me on”, ahead of his upcoming bout with Zhilei Zhang on June 1.

Wilder and Zhang go head-to-head as part of Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn’s ‘5 vs 5’ that sees five of Matchroom Boxing’s best fighters go up against five from Queensberry Promotions in what is set to be a sensational night of action in Saudi Arabia.

The tournament, announced by Turki Alalshikh, could hand Wilder a second chance over a fight with Joshua, a door that many thought had been closed to him in December last year.

AJ got the best of Otto Wallin in Saudi, yet Wilder, on the same card, was stunned by Joseph Parker, a result that halted any idea of a possible contest between the pair.

Yet the American – who is also keen for a fourth Tyson Fury fight – has not ruled out the possibility of a UK showdown with Joshua should he get the job done against Zhang on Saturday.

“F*** yeah, it turns me on,” he told Sportsbook Review regarding a London clash with AJ. “I’ve been in situations like that when I fought the gold medalist in Moscow. We were right there in the lion’s den.

“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.”

“All these fights are beautiful to talk about, but I’ve got to handle business come June 1,” he continued.

“But it has been a long time coming for that fight with AJ. It’s easy for them to talk about it right now because I already have a task I need to accomplish, but we’ll see what type of talk they have when I accomplish my task, then there will be no more hiding, no will be able to hide, no one will be able to be outspoken without any weight behind it.

“When I do what I’ve got to do, then you’ve got to be a man of your word and do what you said you’re going to do.”

Will Deontay Wilder retire?

Wilder has said that he is “highly considering” retiring depending on the outcome of his fight with Zhang.

Speaking to DAZN, the Bronze Bomber said: “It’s going to be a different fight this time around, and if it’s not a different fight, retirement is highly considered.”

When asked if the fight is a “must-win”, the American responded: “Yeah, I think so, and I like that pressure because when you’re under pressure, it brings the best out of you. If you really want it.”

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For all the biggest results and upcoming fights this year, check out Dexerto’s 2024 boxing schedule.