As he writes the final chapter of his storied career, Deontay Wilder still dreams of a fitting swan song, an epilogue. A fight with Anthony Joshua, who knocked out Jake Paul last week, appears an ideal choice. “Almost definitely (fight Joshua)…we both are still in this business. And so as long as we’re still in this business, we must meet,” Wilder told BoxingScene a few days ago. Yet memories of the past leave him uneasy.

While British fans lament the Fury-Joshua bout that never happened, American fans view the failed Wilder-Joshua matchup as the bigger missed opportunity. Deontay Wilder has called out Anthony Joshua before. The fight, however, never materialized. With Joshua edging closer to a potential clash with Tyson Fury, Wilder reflected on how close he once came to facing AJ.

Deontay Wilder finally tells his side of the Joshua story

In Wilder’s view, the blame lies squarely with the British heavyweight. “It’s not my fault,” he said when Naji Chill asked how the fight failed to come together. “It’s his fault…It’s his fault,” Wilder repeated. As the Cigar Talk host pressed on, the Olympic bronze medalist sighed heavily. Old wounds still carry an emotional toll.

Wilder insists he tried everything to make the fight happen, even agreeing to unfavorable financial terms. At one point, he learned that Joseph Parker, who fought Joshua in 2018, had received 33 percent of the purse, while he was being offered only a flat fee. To Wilder the message was clear. “They never wanted (the fight) to happen,” he stated.

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From his perspective, Anthony Joshua‘s promoter, Eddie Hearn, and his father, Barry Hearn, were intent on steering Joshua toward safer fights, avoiding dangerous matchups like one against him. “They said they had no interest in me. I was never in their plan to fight. They don’t care if they never fight me. And that’s what they did,” he added.

Wilder made these remarks on the latest episode of Cigar Talk, recorded while he was in Dubai as a special guest at the IBA World Championships.

Wilder vs. AJ: The fight that slipped away

Fans may choose to accept or dismiss his version of events. But too much water has flowed under the bridge in the Wilder-Joshua saga. The story dates back to 2018, when Joshua held the unified heavyweight titles, and Wilder reigned as WBC champion. Reports from that period reveal Joshua publicly demanded a guaranteed $50 million to fight Wilder in the U.S.

According to a recent World Boxing News op-ed, Team Wilder was receptive and backed by funding, yet Matchroom Boxing allegedly failed to respond to the offer.

Joshua later issued a £15 million counteroffer for the fight to take place at Wembley Stadium. Wilder’s team accepted the proposal, only for communication to stall again when they sought contractual clarifications.

Instead, Joshua and Matchroom moved forward with a mandatory title defense against Alexander Povetkin, effectively shelving the undisputed showdown. Hearn later claimed the WBA blocked the fight, but that explanation has been questioned. Joshua never requested a WBA exception, a standard practice for major unification bouts. Wilder’s camp maintains the sanctioning body would likely have approved the fight if asked.

There was a later moment when Wilder declined a Joshua offer. But that occurred years afterward and under entirely different circumstances.

Another opportunity finally emerged in 2023. Wilder and Joshua fought on the same Day of Reckoning card, with plans to face each other next. But the project failed to take off when Wilder lost to Joseph Parker, while Joshua stopped Otto Wallin. A proposed matchup in March 2024 dropped out of sight. Instead, Joshua went on to fight Francis Ngannou.