Deontay Wilder admits accepting fight with Tyson Fury to wind up Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn

WBC champion Wilder will fight Fury in autumn after talks for a titanic bout with Joshua broke down

Deontay Wilder admits the chance to wind up both Anthony Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn was a key factor behind the decision to pursue a winter fight with Tyson Fury.

The fast-talking American was ringside in Belfast on Saturday night as Fury cruised to a 10-round points victory over the outclassed and whitewashed Francesco Pianeta at Windsor Park.

The win, Fury's second since ending a 924-day ring hiatus back in June, was the final hurdle to overcome before a shot at WBC champion Wilder could be rubber-stamped. Official confirmation is expected before the end of the month but a November encounter in Las Vegas is understood to be on the cards.

The agreement comes after negotiations regarding a four-belt super fight between Wilder and WBO, WBA and IBF champion Joshua publicly broke down. Both sides made multimillion-pound offers to each other but Joshua will instead face mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin at Wembley on September 22 after no agreement could be reached for a transatlantic clash.

Tyson Fury will fight Deontay Wilder in November in a Las Vegas bout for the WBC heavyweight championship (Getty)

But that only opened the door for Fury to strike. His initial revelation that a fight with Wilder was close to being agreed was met with widespread scepticism. Only a few weeks later, however, the pair were nose-to-nose in a Belfast ring as the promotion for their encounter approached top speed.

Now Wilder has lifted the lid on how such a major heavyweight fight was agreed so quickly in the aftermath of lengthy and tiresome talks with Hearn.

“Oh yes, keep talking about it, it feels good,” Wilder grinned when asked whether he thought Joshua and Hearn would be watching on with envy.

“They're already... I mean even when the fight was announced they were already sceptical about it.

Fury won all 10 rounds against Francesco Pianeta (Getty)

“They didn't think it was going to happen but me and Tyson talk personally and I was telling my team: 'I really think he wants it – I can feel it.

“From the discussion we were having, and what he was saying – he's a man of his word.

“The things that have happened to me trying to make a big fight, everybody could see what the situation was. People could see what was happening [with Joshua].

“Tyson felt sorry for it – he felt sorry that people were laughing at the UK and they are. They are because of the big facade that they've built around Joshua. Then for him to let people down in that way, and not fight the best, it really put a sour taste in people's mouths. Especially in America.

Joshua and Hearn have so far failed to reach an agreement with Wilder (Getty)

“It really put a sour taste in the mouth and it has really damaged his name. Not his career yet, because he still has the opportunity to turn it around but his name they have damaged that.

“Now he looks like a protected fighter – every bit of it, 100 per cent. But it's not too late for him.”

Despite missing out on the chance to become the first heavyweight in the sport's history to hold all four major titles at once, Wilder believes a clash with Fury, which could earn each man in excess of £15m each, eclipses one with Joshua.

He said: “Joshua only got his name off of beating Wladimir Klitschko, a guy that had already been beaten [by Fury] and coming off a two-year lay-off.

“That's why Fury gets the credibility – he beat 'the champ'. He took the belt from 'the man'. That's why he gets so much respect and credit for me.

“I think this is a much bigger fight than the Joshua fight if you ask me.”

Whether or not Wilder's suggestion is true, it is without question that a fight between November's winner and Joshua in 2019 would become one of the most lucrative fights in heavyweight boxing history.

Joshua, who is a big favourite to overcome Povetkin, is already booked in to fight at Wembley again on April 13, 2019 and either Fury or Wilder would represent the most high-profile option by far.

But, when asked whether victory over Fury will set up that money-spinning date with Joshua, Wilder predicted more unsuccessful talks.

“We already know they're not fighting me in April,” said Wilder, with a nod to rumours that Dillian Whyte could be in line for a rematch against the London 2012 Olympic gold medalist.

“Eddie already revealed it, he slipped up and said it.

“So it could be a while before we fight but we are going to continue to do our thing. Beating Fury will move our negotiating position tremendously.

“And once I beat Fury, there are no questions about who the man in the division is. If they continue to pick other people then god bless them.

“I believe it can happen but only through the power of the fans. I think he is going to have to be forced to do it. You guys, the fans over here have the power to do that. You're doing that with the ticket sales now. This is just the beginning.

“Once I beat Fury and Joshua is still avoiding me, this can't be a lost cause.”