DEONTAY WILDER immediately FaceTimed his coach Malik Scott after Anthony Joshua’s brutal knockout of Robert Helenius.
Joshua’s hellacious right hand in round seven left Helenius out for the count and needing oxygen.
GettyDeontay Wilder is ready to fight Anthony Joshua[/caption]
Anthony Joshua knocked out Robert HeleniusRichard Pelham / The Sun
And it looks to have set up a super-fight with Wilder in Saudi Arabia, eyed for January.
The Bronze Bomber’s coach Scott was in the house at the O2 as his fighter Gerald Washington was beaten on points by Derek Chisora.
So Wilder was quick to get on the phone to his trainer and express relief in Joshua’s KO – his first since 2020.
Scott told October Red: “He was like, ‘We needed that’.
“We both said the same thing because at first it was looking like it was getting ready to go the distance so when the knockout came I called him on FaceTime and he was like, ‘I’m glad he got that, we needed it done just like that.’
“So we’re both satisfied, the fight is bigger to me than it was because of the knockout, so shoutout to AJ to going out there and getting the job done.
“Most of all shoutout to Robert Helenius. It took a lot of courage to get in that ring with real killers especially on short notice.
“He just fought Deontay last October, had one fight back and now he was right back in there fighting Anthony Joshua.”
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Boxing reps from Saudi were ringside to watch Joshua’s win and attention has now turned Wilder.
And Scott has insisted the ex-WBC champion is up for the challenge – but may squeeze one fight in beforehand himself.
He said: “He’ll be more than ready for a January showdown.
“Last time I checked with Deontay we were looking for something for October, hopefully we can lock in an opponent and from there we’ll go and knockout AJ in January.
“Andy Ruiz doesn’t want to fight Deontay so we’re looking for somebody else, someone who really wants to fight and take a chance and unfortunately somebody else who is going to be knocked out.”
AFPDeontay Wilder and his coach Malik Scott[/caption]