World heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, an American, says he is eager to defend his title against Russia's Aleksandr Povetkin in a match on May 21.
"I'm looking forward to Russia and I want to tell Russia, 'Here I come,'" Wilder said during a workout in Los Angeles in front of the media this week.
"My expectation is, of course, to win. To come back with that victory for America.... This is a big fight, not just for myself, for America. It's like Russia vs. America."
Wilder, the first American heavyweight champion in nearly a decade, was a 2008 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist who won the WBC heavyweight title in January 2015 with a unanimous decision over Haitian-born Canadian Bermane Stiverne.
He said anything less than a knockout of Povetkin will be unacceptable to him.