Deontay Wilder says Anthony Joshua is a nobody in America and must fight him across the pond to become a superstar, The Sun reports.
World heavyweight champion Joshua has hinted he does not need to fight in the USA because British boxing is booming.
And the 28-year-old British-born Nigeria suggested he would only consider such a move to “cement his legacy” in the sport.
But some of the UK’s greatest-ever brawlers have fought in the States, including Lennox Lewis, Ricky Hatton and Amir Khan.
Wilder taunted WBA, IBF and IBO champion Joshua ahead of his own WBC heavyweight defence against Luis Ortiz in New York on March 3.
And he is urging “fake” AJ to fight him in his American homeland, claiming they need each other to make history.
Wilder, 32, said, “He may have his country behind him and that’s it.
“Does he want to be remembered as a countrywide champion? Because he’s not worldwide champion.
“Over here in America they don’t even know his name. They just know him as a big guy from England. That’s fact!
“I need him and he needs me at the end of the day unless he just does not want to unify.
“Unless he wants to stay over his side of the pond and let people gravitate to him and be a fake sign of what he says he is.
“But then he will never be a global icon. You will never be a worldwide figure without me.”
And Wilder added, “I’m the most exciting, most entertaining fighter in the heavyweight division. Nobody in the heavyweight division is doing what I am doing. Nobody in history is doing what I am doing.”
Joshua will fight WBO world champion Joseph Parker on March 31 in Cardiff to set up a winner-takes-all unification fight with Wilder.
But the ‘Bronze Bomber’ believes AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn is avoiding talks over thrashing out a big-money fight deal having previously accused him of using stalling tactics.
Wilder said, “Everybody wants to see the fight. The only people that don’t are his promoters.
“They already know how big of a risk this really is.
“They should be worried but how long do they really think the public, the fans of boxing, are going to allow them to stay away from me?
“This is the biggest fight in our era.”
Source: Punch
