Wilder: Boxing needs me to take over

Deontay Wilder will be defending his WBC heavyweight title this weekend in his home state of Alabama when he faces off with Eric Molina. It's generally accepted that this fight is designed to be a showcase of Wilder's punching prowess to further build his brand for bigger fights to come. Those bigger fights include the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Tyson Fury, and even Anthony Joshua. Deontay is confident that it's his time to shine though, and that he'll be leading the resurgence to prominence for the heavyweight division.

"Floyd Mayweather seems to be coming to the end. Boxing needs me to take over. I believe I can be the exciting new face," said Wilder.

"It's also time to bring back the undisputed heavyweight championship to America, where it belongs."

Wilder also states that he's been working on making a fight with Tyson Fury for last several years but a potential fight between Fury and Klitschko usurped his negotiations.

"...Klitschko and his team did not want one of their prospective opponents to be taken out of the mix by me beating Tyson. That's OK with me because a fight with either of them - Wladimir in America or Fury in the UK - will be huge."

Certainly Wilder is in a pretty good position to see what shakes out across the pond and capitalize on what could likely be a big heavyweight unification fight. Now with rising star Anthony Joshua in the mix, even a fight between he and Wilder is a possibility, one that Joshua welcomes.

"There is a big fight out there for me if David Haye makes his comeback," he said. "But I would be happy to meet Deontay before that. He has raw power but I believe I'm a better boxer," said Joshua.

Tell me fans, is the heavyweight division primed for a comeback? Is Wladimir Klitschko still far and away the best in the division, and with his career winding down, who is on deck to carry the torch?