Boxing news: Anthony Joshua reveals who he blames for Deontay Wilder not fighting him

Joshua arrived in New York on Sunday in preparation for his debut fight on US soil this weekend, as he takes on Andy Ruiz Jr.

The WBA, WBO and IBF champion is defending his world title belts at Madison Square Garden, in what will be his first fight outside of the UK.

Anthony Joshua hoped to fight Jarrell Miller, before ’Big Baby’ failed three drugs tests, leaving him scrambling to find an opponent.

Whilst fans will criticise Joshua for fighting Ruiz – due to his non-athletic physique – the Mexican has insisted he is not simply coming to collect a paycheque.

Joshua’s bout will be the second of three elite heavyweight clashes in the world of boxing in the space of two months, with Deontay Wilder having beaten Dominic Breazeale on May 18 and Tyson Fury fighting Tom Schwarz on June 15.

And fans are hoping that the three can start fighting each other once they have all dispensed with their sub-par opposition.

Despite Wilder suggesting he will not fight Joshua this year, the Brit remained positive and suggested that was the fault of his team – not the fighter himself – for the lack of action.

“I don’t think it’s Wilder, I think it’s the people around him,” he told The Guardian.

“It should be spoken of more. I feel I get made an example of. ‘Joshua is ducking and dodging and doing this’. But if he does the same thing..”

“I’d rather have the biggest fights now rather than later. I don’t know what they are waiting for.

“They’re coming to the end of their careers, the longer they leave it – and I don’t think either of them are going to get much better – it will be worse for them.

“I’m not the finished article yet. I’m still improving, working on my skills, getting better all the time.

“I can’t understand why Wilder won’t fight. It’s not like I’m offering [to fight] because I think it’s easy.

“I want to challenge myself against the best, an opportunity to fight for all the belts. What more is there than all that? If it were me, five years from now and I had the opportunity to become the undisputed champion, where else am I going?

Wilder is likely to defend his WBC strap against Luis Ortiz and Adam Kownacki in his next two fights.

Wilder turned down a multi-fight deal from DAZN – the streaming service carrying Joshua’s fights – in order to sign a contract with Showtime.

And Joshua criticised the decision to not take up the offer, given that he claims the only offer he had from Wilder’s side was a personal email from the champ.

“That wasn’t an email from Wilder, it was a real contract offer from a broadcaster offering Wilder the chance to fight on DAZN,” he continued. “A contract offering him a chance to fight on his own, one warm-up, and then me.

“And he could have fought me straight away if he wanted, there was that option. It’s baffling why he didn’t take it after all the talk.”

source: express.co.uk