Deontay Wilder says Anthony Joshua was ‘made’ to fight but he was ‘born to do it’ and still wants to ‘whoop that ass’
DEONTAY WILDER has claimed Anthony Joshua was “made” to fight whereas he was “born to do it”.
Both the former heavyweight champions had late starts to the sport, with AJ only picking up the gloves at 18.
And Wilder was 20 when he began boxing in a bid to raise money for his daughter, who suffered from spina bifida.
Joshua won Olympic gold in 2012, only five years into his journey.
And similarly, Wilder was a bronze medallist only three years after picking up the sport, having medalled in Beijing.
Despite their similar starts in the sport, the American insisted he does not compare to AJ.
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He said on the Last Stand Podcast: “They made Anthony Joshua.
“They made him. We’re born to do it, not made. Even the Olympics, they gave him that medal.
“They bought a lot of the belts. The way they moved him and prepared him for certain moments, he was not ready for it.”
Joshua, 32, and Wilder, 36, were in talks for an undisputed super-fight in 2019 but a deal failed to materialise.
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The Bronze Bomber went on to complete a trilogy with Tyson Fury, 34, drawing in 2018 but losing the subsequent rematches.
Whereas Joshua most recently lost twice on the spin to Oleksandr Usyk, 35, although he is close to agreeing a shock deal to fight Fury next.
Wilder returns on October 15 against Robert Helenius, 38, but insisted his score with AJ still needs to be settled.
He said: “Still wanna whoop that ass. I’m not gonna rob the fans of not making that fight happen. I definitely want that fight to happen.
“I just wanna know if they’re for real.”