Deontay Wilder’s confidence is reigning supreme once again. 

The former WBC heavyweight champion got back into the win column in October when he crushed former sparring partner Robert Helenius in one round. 

The victory stopped a two-fight losing streak for Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs), who’d suffered consecutive stoppage defeats to Tyson Fury between 2020 to 2021. 

At the age of 37, Wilder is again planted atop the heavyweight mix, and if the right terms were to be presented to him, he’d entertain the idea of fighting two former heavyweight champions who’ve twice faced each other before. 

“Joshua doesn’t want to fight me; it’s plain and clear. I don’t know why people keep asking about that,” Wilder said in an interview with Elie Seckbach of ESNews. “Everybody should’ve known when the $50 million was offered, and he didn’t take it. Even moving forward, Joshua doesn’t want to fight. They should have known then there was something fishy about it.” 

Wilder and Joshua have been linked to a potential fight dating back to when they were both active champions. In 2019, Wilder declined a $100 million deal from DAZN to fight Joshua and cited dishonesty.

In September, Wilder manager Shelly Finkel said Wilder was open to a fight with Joshua. 

Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) has been adamant that a fight with Wilder “has to happen” because they’re both fighting in the same era. Joshua has previously stated that he’d like to fight Wilder or Tyson Fury – or both – in 2023. But first, he will fight Jermaine Franklin on April 1. 

A more realistic return for Wilder would be a fight against PBC stablemate Andy Ruiz Jr. (35-2, 22 KOs).

“Andy is a good fighter. I like his speed, his willingness, and his bravery, but it’s not going to be enough for me, though,” said Wilder. 

“He’s going to have to put an extra recipe on top of everything I named. He’s going to have to put some more on it because I am the man. I am that man. That’s why they fear me. Do you understand? With me, you’re going to need extra help, and I’m not just talking about you by yourself.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.