WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder speaks at a press conference before the GEICO 500 NASCAR Talladega auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, April 29, 2018, in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
TALLADEGA, Ala. — WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder thinks he’ll get the next shot at Anthony Joshua.
Wilder said Sunday before serving as honorary pace car driver for the NASCAR race at Talladega Superspeedway that the fight “will definitely happen.” He said his team has offered Joshua a guarantee of at least $50 million.
Shelly Finkel, one of Wilder’s managers, has told ESPN that the offer would include $50 million against 50 percent of the revenue at a site of Wilder’s choosing between September and December.
“If Joshua and his team are smart enough, they’ll take this fight and take it soon,” said Wilder, who is 40-0 with 39 knockouts. “We’re not going to be waiting. The offer’s on the table: $50 million and he gets 50-50 split upward, so he can make even more money than that.
“That’s going to be the highest up-front money that any heavyweight fighter has ever gotten in their career. That’s a lot of money to turn down and I know he’s not Dave Chappelle, so it’s going to happen.”
He was referring to the comedian’s decision to reject a $50 million deal for his Comedy Central show back in 2005.
A fight with Joshua would be a unification bout for the four heavyweight tiles.
Wilder said he watched fellow heavyweight Jarrell Miller remain unbeaten Saturday night with a unanimous decision over Johann Duhaupas, whom Wilder knocked out in the 11th round in 2015. Miller and Joshua are both promoted by Eddie Hearn. Hearn has talked about Joshua facing Miller before Wilder.
“I’m ready for Anthony Joshua,” Miller said after the fight in New York City. “Let’s bring him to Brooklyn and show him how we do it.”
Wilder, though, thinks he’s next in line for Joshua in what would be his first fight outside of his native Britain.
“It’ll definitely get made,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time. With the magnitude of this fight, it takes time. I think a lot of negotiations and different things are going on. That’s part of the buildup to it.
“When the fight happens, it’s going to be an epic one. At the end of that fight, there will be one champion, one face, one name and his name is Deontay Wilder.”
The visit to Talladega was a respite from what the Tuscaloosa resident said has been a stressful year. He wore a gold robe to the track, visiting drivers and their haulers.
He likes fast cars, counting a Lamborghini as part of his collection.
“I can’t stop smiling for some reason,” Wilder said. “I just can’t. I love smiling. I love interacting with the people.
“I’m in my element right now, fast cars, people enjoying the weather. It don’t get no better than this.”