Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are on a collision course in the heavyweight division – five years after the Brit reportedly turned down £40m to fight him.
Before their fights against Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker respectively next month, the Bronze Bomber spoke out about an offer made to the two-time former unified world champion back in 2018, when they both held heavyweight belts.
Wilder claims that Joshua and Matchroom didn't accept the mammoth offer, with Joshua going on to lose to Andy Ruiz Jr the following year as Wilder began his rivalry with Tyson Fury.
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Speaking to the Daily Mail, the American (43-2-1) said when asked why they haven't been in there ring together: "He asked for $50million (£40m) and we provided that for him and he did not take it.
"And the only way you can disregard that is to make a mockery of it, try to make a joke of it, try to make it seem to the public that it's not real."
The plan this time around is for the duo to face off in the New Year, which would provide an obvious next opponent for the winner of Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed crown.
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The huge card of action also includes Dimitry Bivol, Daniel Dubois and Jai Opetaia, with Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren joining forces.
Speaking in his Daily Star column, Warren said: "There hasn’t been many bigger weeks for boxing than the one just gone.
"I promised we would be changing the game and boy have we done that with two of the biggest cards ever seen in the sport.
As well as the Champions League, TNT Sports will also be offering sports fans access to games across the Premier League, Europa League, Serie A and much more.
You can also watch the biggest events in boxing, UFC, WWE and get exclusive action from MLB.
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"Everyone said it couldn’t be done but we’ve brought Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder together.
"They’ll fight different opponents on December 23 but the hope is that they will then take on each other in 2024. But one mega fight which is signed, sealed and announced is Tyson Fury’s undisputed heavyweight showdown with Oleksandr Usyk."
The December 23 card will take place in the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – the same venue as Fury vs Usyk on February 17.
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