Deontay Wilder said he was ‘ready’ to take on Anthony Joshua immediately after defending his WBC belt against Luis Ortiz.

The American heavyweight faced the toughest challenge yet to his title in Brooklyn on Saturday night but came through after knocking out his opponent in the 10th round.

It was a bruising contest, with Wilder very nearly losing the fight in the seventh round to his previously undefeated Cuban opponent.

However Wilder rallied and sent out a warning to any future opponents with a powerful finish to stop Ortiz.

Focus quickly turned to a much talked about unification fight with Anthony Joshua. ‘I’m ready right now,’ Wilder said.

‘I always said that I want to unify. I’m ready whenever those guys are. I am the baddest man on the planet and I proved that tonight. This solidified my position at the top of the food chain tonight.

‘Soon there will be one champion, one face, one name – that will be Deontay Wilder. It’s not about how big your muscles are – it’s about the heart.’

By Mirror