By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – If Wladimir Klitschko actually does return to boxing, Deontay Wilder doesn’t think Klitschko would want to fight him.

A Ukrainian sports website posted a story Monday that stated Klitschko had agreed to a three-fight, $120 million deal with DAZN. A rematch with Anthony Joshua would’ve been one of those three fights, according to what turned out to be an April Fool’s Day hoax, not legitimate news.

Speculation persists, however, that the 43-year-old former heavyweight champion will return to the ring this year. Klitschko hasn’t fought since Joshua stopped him in the 11th round of their memorable battle nearly two years ago at Wembley Stadium in London.

If he were to return, Wilder said recently, “I don’t think Klitschko’s looking at the path of coming down Deontay Wilder’s way.”

If Klitschko did decide to pursue a fight against Wilder, a former sparring partner, Wilder would want Klitschko to win a fight first. The 6-feet-6, 245-pound Klitschko has boxed just once since Tyson Fury upset him and took his four heavyweight titles in November 2015.

Wilder and Fury fought to a split draw December 1 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. A rematch with Fury and his own showdown with Joshua would interest Wilder more than a fight against Klitschko if Klitschko were to box again.

“We’ll still have to see what he does,” Wilder said. “Let him get back in there and build him up. Look, Klitschko, when he fought Joshua he was out for what, two years? And he came back and lost and stuff, so he’s gotta build himself back up. He can only live off his name for so long. You get to the point where you’re that fighter that used to be where you was – I can’t say used to be somebody, because he’s still somebody. He’s still Klitschko. He’s done amazing things in his career and you can’t take that back. Even when I went to camp with him, I learned a lot of things from him. So, you can never take that from him.

“But, you know, the fighting scene, when he comes back, he’s gotta build himself back up – especially with someone like me, I’m coming in for the kill. I ain’t playing around with nobody. I don’t think he’ll want that fight, to be honest, in my opinion. Klitschko had many times to challenge me. Every time he comes back, ain’t nobody mentioning Deontay Wilder’s name because they know that this is a tough fight. I put everybody in the position where they’ll train the best they’ve ever trained.”

The 33-year-old Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs), of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is scheduled to make a mandatory defense of his WBC title against Dominic Breazeale (20-1, 18 KOs), of Eastvale, California, on May 18 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Showtime will air the Wilder-Breazeale bout.

Two weeks later, England’s Joshua (22-0, 21 KOs) is set to defend his IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO championships against Brooklyn’s Jarrell Miller (23-0-1, 20 KOs). DAZN will stream Joshua-Miller live June 1 from Madison Square Garden in New York.

On June 15, England’s Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs) is set to square off against Germany’s Tom Schwarz (24-0, 16 KOs) at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. ESPN+ will stream Fury-Schwarz.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.