Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury set for November as WBC champion hits out at ‘embarrassing’ Anthony Joshua

Wilder admitted the fight with Fury could be announced as early as next week

Deontay Wilder has revealed a deal to face Tyson Fury is close and that the duo are set to fight in either “November or December” as the WBC heavyweight champion took another passing shot at rival Anthony Joshua.

Fury revealed last week that his team were in talks for the fight, which is believed to be pencilled in for Las Vegas on either 10 or 17 November of this year.

Wilder was left frustrated in his negotiations with Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn this summer as the two parties could not make a deal on an undisputed unification fight for this year, and has consequently turned to other options.

Joshua will face his mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin instead of Wilder now after being threatened with the stripping of his belts.

Wilder revealed how pleasantly surprised he had been with the quick progress of negotiations between his team and Fury’s in what will be the biggest fight of his career to date.

“Whatever date that suits us best, that’s the date we’ll go with,” Wilder told BoxingScene.com. “But people should know that this fight is happening. It will happen. We just can’t wait. We can’t wait to announce it and get it on.

“It could be wrapped up next week. Or it could be wrapped up [Friday]. We’re that close. This has been the easiest negotiation I’ve ever been in, dealing with a fight of this magnitude. That just lets you know this fight will happen. I don’t see nothing that will stop this fight from happening, nothing at all.”

(PA (PA)

Wilder called Fury, who is still boxing’s lineal world heavyweight champion, a “true champion” and claimed that he saved the UK from the “embarrassment” of Joshua not taking the fight. He also praised the Manchester fighter for being willing to fight in America, even though he could have demanded Wilder came to the UK, where he would have earned more money.

“I respect for him and I salute him for that [accepting the fight in America], for trying to save face for his country, to try to save them from the embarrassment they feel over there,” Wilder said.

“Because we’re laughing at them hard, especially when Joshua asked for $50 million and then talked about he was just playing. But Fury, he’s a true champion. This is what champions are all about.

“This is a bigger fight than the Joshua fight. This is a way bigger fight. Just for Tyson to take this opportunity, and be able to do [a deal] in a short amount of time, it tells you about his character. He’s a true warrior. He’s a true gypsy king and I can’t wait to share a ring with him.

“This is humiliation for Joshua’s side. They didn’t wanna fight, they didn’t wanna let me in the ring, they didn’t want no confrontation with me, they didn’t wanna look me in the eye. So we’re showing the young boy what it is to be a man, what the requirements of this job are. So I hope Joshua and his team are taking notes on what real champions are supposed to do. Real kings are supposed to fight each other.”