World heavyweight boxing champ Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua eyes mega unification fight

NIGERIAN-born world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua is looking to become the undisputed champion of the division by following up his impending fight against Joseph Parker with a unification bout.

Later this month, Joshua will fight New Zealander Parker at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in front of 78,000 people. Expected to be an easy win for the world champion, the bout will then be followed up with a unification fight against American Deontay Wilder, the World Boxing Council champion.

Joshua, however, has urged Wilder to be realistic about who is the bigger draw card should the heavyweight champions meet in a blockbuster unification fight. Should such a bout take place it could be one of the richest in history but so far, no serious talks have taken place between the two camps,

However, 2012 Olympic champion Joshua said the brash Wilder needs to accept that he has greater spectator appeal in the UK  than the American does in the US and so should be the one to cross the Atlantic for any unification bout. Wilder is set to be among a crowd at Cardiff for Joshua's next fight.

Joshua said: “If he was serious about the fight, we’d do serious negotiation. If not, he should stop hooting and hollering because we’ll just freeze him out.

“We’re in a position where I’ve still got great top-10 challengers I can compete with. He’s in a position where the broadcasters ain’t interested in Joe Bloggs anymore.”

Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter added that there is a possibility of a meeting with Wilder as at the moment, all the American's talk remains bluster. He said that it might even be possible to stage the unification fight later this year.

Joshua added: “I know where I am going with my career and if he wants to be a part of this and jump on the train and come to the UK, he has to be realistic and stop living the fantasy. That is all we are saying, be realistic in negotiations.

“What we’ve got to offer is going to be 10 times more in terms of financials to than he’s looking at in America. If he offered me 10 times more money to fight than what I am looking at in the UK, I would go there to fight him but he is coming here."