By Michael Benson

Anthony Joshua has accused Deontay Wilder of using his name to build a profile for himself after hearing rumours he will rematch Luis Ortiz next.

The Brit is preparing to defend his unified WBA, IBF and WBO titles against Andy Ruiz Jr on June 1 in New York and wants to make a statement in his US debut.

All the pre-fight talk has become about what will come after this fight, with WBC champion Wilder the main target for an undisputed title clash.

However, there are strong rumours that the American will instead face Ortiz again later this year, hence why he is not going to be ringside for AJ vs Ruiz.

Joshua explained to reporters: “Whether he is going to be there or not is irrelevant. Do I think he will fight me next? No.

“Luis Ortiz turned down our offer because he has something coming down the pipeline, which looks like being Wilder.

“He said he wanted to fight me for so long.

“So now, unless he does, I’m going to be looking at it as a PR campaign to build his name off my back.

“If you’re a representative of Pepsi and I’m a representative of Coke I’m going to say anything negative about Pepsi to boost my profile and that is what he does.

“He talks about me all the time because he is the closest thing to me in the division and it helps build his name.

“But he doesn’t live up to it, does he? He doesn’t fight for what he believes in.”

When asked how he’d feel if he completed his career without facing the likes of Wilder and Tyson Fury, AJ replied: “I would regret it massively.

“Without getting those fights I would not be able to finish boxing with a smile on my face.

“I would be happy to finish with Wilder, Fury and Ortiz on my record, after fighting Wladimir Klitschko, Alexander Povetkin, Joseph Parker and now Ruiz Jr.”

Article courtesy of Michael Benson & Talk Sport