Anthony Joshua has admitted that he cannot figure out why Deontay Wilder has yet to speak out on Tyson Fury's claims he and 'The Bronze Bomber' will not have their contracted third fight after all.
Wilder immediately triggered his rematch clause after being stopped by Fury in February after their first meeting ended in a draw. However, the final installment of their feud struggled to land on a date, with the COVID-19 pandemic keeping fans out.
After Dec. 19 fell through as a potential date for the trilogy, Fury declared he would fight someone else before Christmas and then move on to the previously-agreed superfight with domestic rival Joshua.
Though it seems likely that the Fury-Wilder contract gives the American every opportunity to contest Fury's new plans, nothing has been said so far — which the WBA, WBO and IBF champion cannot fathom.
Joshua told Sky Sports: "It's interesting as to say, 'Why he hasn't spoken?' But when he does speak, we'll soon find out.
"For me to make speculation as to why he hasn't spoken, I can't because only he knows.
"But I can't wait for him to address the reason why the fight isn't going to happen at the end of the year. What happened in the first fight? Why he lost. Was it the costume, was it the glove situation?
"It would be really good to hear the reasons as to why and even better, I hope he does come back, because he's a great asset to the heavyweight division, and like the Dillian (Whyte) situation, I would like to understand how he found the strength to pull himself up.
"From my humble opinion, after a loss, things change. You distance yourself. The world is cruel. You've got to have a thick skin.
"Either he's putting together a master plan — he's in a lab right now, with his science glasses on, studying Fury's every move. Either he's doing that, or he's sitting at the edge of that lake, with his head in his hands and thinking, 'What's going on?'
"One minute you're on top of the world, and the next minute you're not. That's the name of the game we're in."