Deontay Wilder Called Out By Heavyweight Who Scored Most Brutal KO Of The Year: “Who Lands First?”

Deontay Wilder is currently on the sidelines and mulling over his return to the ring.

The American heavyweight was once the most fearsome puncher in the sport. He reigned supreme as the WBC champion for half a decade and put together a devastating string of knockouts, often early and with just one punch.

Standout victories came against the likes of Luis Ortiz, Bermaine Stiverne and Dominic Breazeale. Then, in December 2018, Wilder came up against Tyson Fury for the first time. Despite Fury coming off the back of a long layoff, he boxed well and managed to secure a controversial draw having risen from the canvas after a hellacious punch in the 12th round.

Fury and Wilder fought twice more and Wilder was on the wrong end of a knockout both times. He came back with a quick stoppage of Robert Helenius, before entering the ring with Joseph Parker and losing on points having looked gun-shy throughout.

Back in June, Wilder returned to action against Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang and was again stopped, this time within five rounds. With trainer Malik Scott confirming he will fight on, talk has turned to who may be in the opposite corner.

He has now been mentioned on BoxNation as a possible opponent for unbeaten Brit Fabio Wardley who recently defended his British and Commonwealth titles against Frazer Clarke with a first-round stoppage that was so brutal Clarke was immediately rushed to hospital for surgery.

“Yep, I would [fight Wilder]. It was an interesting name thrown into the mix … but yeah I would jump in and give it a go. I would happily back myself against him because ultimately it’s a battle of the bombs and who can land first and cleaner. I think boxing IQ-wise I’m proving every fight I’m gaining more experience and more knowledge, knowing more about my opponent, knowing more about myself and boxing. Having Ben [Davison] in my corner who has already faced Wilder would be a huge advantage.”

Wardley put a stamp on his rivalry with Clarke after the pair fought to a draw the first time out, unleashing a hellacious shot in the opening round of the rematch, causing two fractures to the cheekbone.

While Wardley will most likely vacate his British title to push on to world level, Clarke has confirmed he will fight on after a period of recovery.