Deontay Wilder Claims Fight With Anthony Joshua Would Be Bigger Than Tyson Fury

WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder’s rivalry is certainly one of the most storied rivalries in recent memory. Wilder, it appears, does not share this sentiment. He recently declared that the fight with Joshua is the “Biggest fight in the world,” rather than Fury 4.

Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury IV would be a huge fight. However, it won’t be the biggest since The Bronze Bomber told the outlet that there isn’t a greater battle in the sport than him vs. Anthony Joshua. “The biggest fight in the world is not [Fury], it’s me versus Anthony Joshua. That’s still the biggest fight in the world,” the 36-year-old former heavyweight champ told Babcock on the “TMZ Sports” TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

Everywhere I go, people talk about that fight. That’s the one that they want to see.

It’s not that Deontay isn’t interested in another fight with Tyson; he is. He said, “whether [Fury and I] fight four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten times, the heavyweight division is small. We can do those things because it’s not packed like other divisions.” Wilder last fought in October 2021, losing to Fury via 11th-round TKO.

It was his third battle with the Gypsy King in a trilogy that almost all boxing fans and experts say was one of the greatest in the sport’s history. Fury recently stated that he would be open to another fight with Wilder. In terms of Joshua, he is coming off a split-decision loss against Oleksandr Usyk in August.

The fight was a rematch of their battle in September 2021, which Usyk also won. Joshua, 24-3 (22 knockouts), has been a longstanding rival of the Bronze Bomber, and the two have discussed fighting for years. If that is going to happen, it better happen soon, as Wilder expects to retire around his 40th birthday. 

Until then, Deontay says he’s focused on making his fans happy and providing them with the fights they want to witness. However, before facing Fury, Joshua, or anyone else, Deontay must defeat Robert Helenius on Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Wilder is a massive favorite (around -800) against the similarly sized 6’7″ pugilist, who has a professional record of 31-3 with 20 knockouts.

The fight between Wilder and Helenius will take place this Saturday night on FOX Sports PPV. Let’s see how it goes. To get the latest updates, keep an eye on Thirsty.

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