Deontay Wilder calls out Anthony Joshua after devastating first-round knockout of Dominic Breazeale

Deontay Wilder proclaimed that his sights were set on ­facing unbeaten fellow heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua this year after defending his World Boxing Council title with a brutal first-round knockout of Dominic Breazeale in New York.

Reaffirming the devastating knockout power which ranks him as dangerous as anyone in the history of the division, the American poleaxed Breazeale with a cannonball right hand straight through his rival’s defences after just 137 ­seconds at the Barclays Center.

Wilder, who stated that he may attend Joshua’s debut on American soil at Madison Square Garden on June 1, raised his record to 41 ­victories and one controversial draw – against Tyson Fury in Los Angeles last December.

Yet, in spite of the bold call to arms, the process to determine the undisputed champion out of the three undefeated fighters at the summit of the division remains tardy, riven by egos, greed and ­promotional wrangling.

Following their fight six months ago, Wilder and former world heavyweight leader Fury were expected to face each other in a rematch, but when Fury joined forces with a ­rival promoter and broadcaster it was put on hold, while negotiations with Joshua have become a merry-go-round, with both sides failing to agree terms several times.

Joshua and Fury will fight lesser lights in New York and Las Vegas next month, after which talks for the fights heavyweight boxing must agree to, will resume.

Fury was fast to react to the American’s victory.

“I would just like to say well done to Wilder in knocking out Breazeale. I got that prediction quite correct,” Fury said. “Anyone who wants to go toe to toe with Wilder will have the same fate as Breazeale and the rest of his 40 other victims. Anthony Joshua, you’ll get it as well. Same thing will happen to you, mush. Dillian Whyte, you’ll get it as well. But Wilder – you’re the second baddest man on the planet, behind me.”

Wilder pledged that he remains determined to come face to face with both Britons in the ring, although given their promotional deals, it is still unclear whether the super-fights will realistically take place this year.

“It will happen. I believe in all my heart it will happen. I don’t want this to be a [Lennox] Lewis and [Riddick] Bowe situation,” explained Wilder, in the case of the two former world champions who failed to agree terms 25 years ago.

“The heavyweight division is so lit right now, it’s so on fire, and I have an obligation to give the fans what they want. The great thing is all these fights are in discussion. The big fights will happen. All parties involved are talking.

“There’s too many people and opinions involved. It will take our teams to sit down, handle things, squash everything and get it done for the fans. The big fights will happen the way we all benefit. We risk our lives, so let us get our time to iron out our differences and you guys will know when it happens.”

Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, appeared to be in agreement. “This is the fight that will change the sport globally, it’s a legacy fight and AJ wants it so bad.”

Wilder also climbed down over his distasteful comments last week that he wanted “to kill” opponent Breazeale and that he wanted “a body in a bag” on his record. Mauricio Sulaiman, the WBC president, told Wilder that action would be taken over the comments.

“I just told Breazeale I love him and of course I want to see him go home to his family,” Wilder said. “I know we say some things, but when you can fight a man and then you can hug him and kiss him, I wish the world was like that. We shake hands and we live to see another day and that’s what it’s all about.”

If Wilder does attend Joshua’s debut in the United States, it may help to push forward the talks. What is key, however, is that power, ego and money must not obfuscate what needs to be done in the heavyweight division.

In the UK, two world champions were crowned. Unbeaten Billy Joe Saunders became a two-weight world champion when he comprehensively outboxed Shefat Isufi to earn a lopsided decision – 120-108, 117-111 and 118-110 – in the open air at Stevenage Football Club to add the World Boxing Organisation super middleweight title to the middleweight crown he relinquished last year.

In Glasgow, Josh Taylor dropped Ivan Baranchyk twice in the sixth round on his way to winning a unanimous points decision to claim the International Boxing Federation super-lightweight title in the World Boxing Super Series semi-final.

Taylor stretched his unbeaten record to 15 fights, taking the decision 117-109 and 115-111, twice, on the judges’ cards and will face the American Regis Prograis, who is the World Boxing Association 140lb champion, in the WBSS final this summer.