LOS ANGELES -- Heavyweight titlist Deontay Wilder knew the question was coming and, with a big smile, responded before it could even be asked.
"I'm 100 percent good," Wilder said, flexing his surgically repaired right hand. "I'm [medically] cleared. I'm ready to go, and I'm already sparring."
Sitting down with a reporter recently during an undercard at the Galen Center, Wilder expressed his excitement about returning to the ring after the second half of his 2016 was ruined by injuries.
On July 18, Wilder (37-0, 36 KOs) battered Chris Arreola into an eighth-round knockout win to retain his belt, but it came at a cost: a broken right hand and a torn right biceps, both of which required surgery.
The injuries have healed, Wilder said, adding, "My doctor said not only would I recover 100 percent, but that I would hit even harder than before because before I never allowed my hand to fully heal [after other injuries]. Now my hand is good, the biceps is good. I'm ready to go."
Wilder, 31, is expected back in the ring on Feb. 25 at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, his home state, as the headliner of a Premier Boxing Champions card on Fox in prime time. Wilder's team is close to finalizing a deal for him to face Andrzej Wawrzyk (33-1, 19 KOs), 29, of Poland.
The February fight is a way for Wilder to make sure his hand and arm are truly sound, and it's also a placeholder fight while awaiting a bigger one. He was supposed to face the winner of the vacant interim title bout between Alexander Povetkin and Bermane Stiverne. However, that fight, which was supposed to happen last Saturday in Russia, was canceled after Povetkin failed his second random drug test in seven months for a banned substance.
The other fight Povetkin had to cancel because of a dirty drug test was in May, when he was supposed to get a mandatory shot at Wilder. When that fight was called off, Wilder's team set up the Arreola fight.
Stiverne's team would like for him to be handed the interim title and an immediate shot at Wilder, but that is unlikely. Besides, Wilder already routed Stiverne in a one-sided decision to win a world title in January 2015.
The big fight Wilder wants -- one that most boxing fans are salivating to see -- is against the winner of the showdown between titleholder Anthony Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) and former longtime world champion Wladimir Klitschko (64-4, 54 KOs), who meet April 29 at Wembley Stadium in London, in what will be one of the biggest fights of 2017.
So how does Wilder, a former sparring partner for Klitschko, see the fight going?
"In my heart I'm going for Joshua, but in my mind I'm going for Klitschko," Wilder said. "Klitschko is such an experienced guy. He's seen everything, and without knowledge you can't be wise. Klitschko is very wise and intelligent in the ring. On the other hand, Joshua is strong and just as tall, so anything is possible. It will be a very interesting fight. I see it as whoever throws that perfect punch.
"Age also plays a part. One of the negatives -- the only thing that worries me -- is it's a young man's sport. Klitschko (who turns 41 in March) has been around a long time. Father time is knocking on his door, but he has the motivation. He says, 'I can still do this.' George Foreman won his heavyweight title back at the age of 45. He said, 'Age ain't nothing but a number.' That will motivate Klitschko."
Wilder said whoever wins, he wants the unification fight immediately. Since he first won his belt in 2015, Wilder has said his goal is to unify the titles.
"If Joshua prevails against Klitschko it will be Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua. There's no other fight," Wilder said, rubbing his hands together in apparent anticipation. "I've been talking about unifying the division for a long time. If he fights and wins, we want that fight quickly. We been waiting for too long now. We don't want to keep the people waiting. There is no bigger fight than Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.
"If Anthony Joshua prevails against Klitschko and we fight, you got two undefeated big guys with power, and you got [three] titles on the line. How big can it get?"
Wilder said he would even go to England for the fight. Wilder has trained in England and seems fearless about going on the road. He was supposed to fight Povetkin in Moscow before the fight was canceled.
"I would love to go to England," Wilder said. "I also want to see if [Joshua] can go on the road. To make it in boxing you must captivate the fans in America too. If he comes over here he is making his debut in America and more fans get to know him through me. I think he will want to display his talent in America too. Maybe we could do it midyear in Las Vegas, but he must beat Klitschko first."
Wilder downplayed the comparisons some have made between him and Joshua based on Joshua's most recent result. On the day Wilder sat for this interview, Joshua harshly knocked out Eric Molina in the third round to retain his belt for the second time. Wilder served as a guest analyst on Showtime's coverage of the fight. Eighteen months earlier, Molina took Wilder into the ninth round and wobbled him but got knocked out.
Wilder said he understands fans and media making the comparison but said it has nothing to do with what might happen if he and Joshua eventually fight. He also pointed out that he knocked Molina out before Joshua did, suggesting that he softened him up.
"When people try to [compare] rounds, it's more of an observation for fans when they want to give their point of view," Wilder said. "It makes great conversation. When you have a fighter who gets knocked out, especially brutally, it's easier for the next guy to do it. But Joshua was very relaxed and composed, and he set up his combinations nicely. It is the heavyweight division, and it's based on power. Molina took a lot of devastating punches from both of us."
Wilder said there's only one way to find out who the best heavyweight is, and that is by fighting each other. He said he is eager for those fights.
"If Klitschko beats Joshua, the next big thing is Klitschko vs. Wilder. If Joshua beats Klitschko, the next big thing is Joshua vs. Wilder," Wilder said. "Either one, I am ready. I really believe I am the best in the world."