WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder was originally planning on making the trip to Cardiff, Wales, this weekend to see Anthony Joshua take on Joseph Parker in person. But after a contract negotiation broke down, Wilder made the rounds on Wednesday telling people he was staying home.

Wilder said that Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, were not going to allow him to enter the ring to challenge Joshua for his next fight should he be victorious on Saturday night. Hearn had a different side of that story.

"He [Wilder] said 'I must be in the ring after' and we said 'yeah, you'll probably be invited,' but it's not a script," Hearn said to ESPN on Thursday. "You don't get in the ring at this time. Anthony will probably call you into the ring, but it's not like we're announcing a fight.

"He's was going to work for Sky. I mean he would have been a yard from Anthony Joshua as he's getting interviewed but he just didn't fancy it. Dillian Whyte's there as well. He would have been calling Wilder's name out."

Wilder, who joined CBS Sports HQ on Wednesday, has zero interest in taking on Whyte and thinks Joshua is scared to face him.

"Dillian who? Dillian Whyte is a joke to me," Wilder said. "Who has he beaten to get in this position? Dillian Whyte is nobody to me. Whyte is only a distraction Hearn is using so I won't get to Joshua. He's a blockage for that fight. That's why Eddie Hearn is so big on pushing Dillian Whyte. He promised his guy he would get him a title fight and he's not coming through with his promise because we not putting up with the bull. That's why he wanted me to come to Cardiff and that's why he's so upset because it backfired on him."

Hearn also noted that other fighters have been using Joshua's name to boost their own status and thinks Wilder may be doing the same.

"Wladimir Klitschko -- he said he wanted the fight, he signed a contract. Joseph Parker -- he said he wanted the fight, he signed the contract. The others sometimes use Anthony Joshua's name to give themselves profile, but the reality is do they really want it? If they did, he'd be here this Saturday.

"The entire world's boxing media and sporting media will be there on Saturday. It would have been massive for Deontay Wilder's profile to be there, but for some reason he doesn't want to be there -- make of that what you will. That tells me one thing -- he doesn't really want this fight."

Wilder thinks it's "clear as day" that Joshua and his camp are avoiding him.

"It's becoming so childish and pathetic because I want to give the people what they want. People want to see the best of the heavyweight division fight the best of the heavyweight division. And as I look at it, the heavyweight division was dead and boring before a lot of us came along and made it exciting. The heavyweight division is exciting again and now they want to come with these tactics of dodging and ducking me? Joshua is afraid of me. He's afraid to lose and he knows that. If he fights me, there's a higher percentage chance of losing than any other fighter he'll face."

Joshua takes on Parker in the main event from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday night on Showtime.