Deontay Wilder has once again spoken of his desire to fight Anthony Joshua but is prepared to unify the heavyweight division "by all means necessary", even if it means he has to fight Joseph Parker instead of his preferred opponent in 'AJ'.

Wilder, currently preparing to defend his WBC belt against 'King Kong' Luis Ortiz in New York on 3 March, has made no secret of his desire to fight Joshua in recent years but his apparent intent was questioned by the Briton's promoter Eddie Hearn, who told him to "forget" an even share of the purse with his prized heavyweight, who could unify the heavyweight division against Joseph Parker when the pair face off in Cardiff at the end of next month.

Wilder, who turns 33 this year, is eager to arrange a fight with Joshua while he remains at the peak of his powers but insists his top priority is to unify the heavyweight division, a feat not achieved since Lennox Lewis overcame Evander Holyfield in 1999.

While he concedes his preference is to fight Joshua over Parker, presumably due to the former's higher profile and pulling power, the 'Bronze Bomber' isn't overly fussed about who stands in his way of becoming the undisputed world champion, so long as he manages to do so.

"The big fight is me and Joshua, of course, and that's who I want," Wilder said, per Sky Sports. "I've been calling him out for almost two years now. A lot of people think this just started, but it didn't, it started years ago.

"I told people to do their research and their history, then they'll come up with the facts instead of the fiction. But, I want to unify by all means necessary, whether [Joseph] Parker has it or Anthony [Joshua] has it. It doesn't matter who has it, I want to unify and I can't be clearer than that."

Deontay Wilder
Wilder is desperate to unify the heavyweight division, a feat not managed in nearly 20 years Getty Images