Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury IV would be an absolutely HUGE fight, but not the biggest ... 'cause The Bronze Bomber tells us there isn't a fight in the sport bigger than him vs. Anthony Joshua!
"The biggest fight in the world is not [Fury], it's me versus Anthony Joshua. That's still the biggest fight in the world. Everywhere I go, people talk about that fight. That's the one that they want to see," the 36-year-old former heavyweight champ told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).
It's not that Deontay isn't down for another with Tyson ... because he is.
"Whether [Fury and I] fight four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten times, the heavyweight division is small. We can do those things because it's not packed like other divisions."
Tyson Fury Knocks Out Deontay Wilder In 11th, Crazy After-Party
Wilder last fought in October 2021 ... losing to Fury via an 11th-round TKO. It was his third fight with the Gypsy King ... a trilogy that almost all boxing fans and experts agree was one of the greatest in the history of the sport.
Fury, generally regarded as the current best heavyweight in the world, recently said he'd be open to another scrap with Wilder.
As for Joshua, AJ's coming off a split decision loss against Oleksandr Usyk in August. The fight was a rematch of their September 2021 bout ... which Usyk also won.
Joshua, 24-3 (22 knockouts), is a longtime rival of the Bronze Bomber ... the men have talked about fighting for years.
If it is going to happen, it better be sometime soon -- Wilder tells us he plans to retire around his 40th birthday.
Until then, Deontay says this phase of his career is all about making his fans happy, and giving them the fights they want to see.
But, before those possible fights with Fury, Joshua, or anyone else, Deontay has to beat Robert Helenius this Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
We spoke with Helenius ... who tells us he believes he has a slight advantage over Wilder since he was his sparring partner.
"You get a sense of feeling or how and what kind of punches are being thrown in the ring," the 38-year-old heavyweight said. "Of course, it’s good for me."
Wilder is a massive favorite (around -800) against the similarly sized 6'7" pugilist ... who has a professional record of 31-3 with 20 knockouts.
And when it comes to the doubters, Helenius vows to "show them that they’re wrong."
We also talked to boxing star Caleb Plant ... who is returning to the ring for the first time since losing to Canelo Alvarez -- his first loss -- in November 2021. Plant is fighting former multiple-time world champ Anthony Dirrell before Deontay goes to work.
Wilder vs. Helenius goes down this Saturday night on FOX Sports PPV!