Wladimir Klitschko will look to extend his reign as heavyweight king on April 25, but he has his eyes set on Deontay Wilder later in the year.
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Klitschko returns to the USA later this month to face unbeaten opponent Bryant Jennings at Madison Square Garden in New York when he will defend his heavyweight titles for the 18th time.
A win over his American rival will put him within one successful defence of Larry Holmes, while he is still six wins away from matching Joe Louis’ record of 25.
While the Ukrainian star has talked down that chase, he will be desperate to improve on his 63-3 record with 53 KOs, and provided that he can get by Jennings next time out, he is open to the possibility of facing Wilder further down the line.
“I believe Deontay is an extremely talented athlete. We’ve sparred enough that we know each other well. I believe a unification fight is something that the public wants,” he is quoted as saying by AP.
The 39-year-old explained how he feels that the momentum in the heavyweight division shifted a different continent over to Europe for a period, but he welcomes the fact that the USA is returning to the scene as Wilder is undoubtedly the next big hope to unify the division.
Klitschko also has the option of fighting his mandatory challenger Tyson Fury, with the Brit waiting for his opportunity after he defeated Dereck Chisora last year to put himself in position to fight the champion next.
However, talks have been slow between the two respective parties and there has been no suggestion that a bout is scheduled to take place later in the year.
The heavyweight scene will likely become a lot clearer after April 25, as Wilder is also expected to announce his first title defence in the coming months as he continues to recover from injury and get back in the gym.
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