Some in the sport thought it was curtains for Deontay Wilder following two back-to-back losses in Saudi Arabia.
A defeat to Joseph Parker on points and then a knockout from Zhilei Zhang, plus below-par showings in both, left the former WBC Heavyweight World Champion’s career on the ropes.
He has just one win in his last five bouts that spanned four years and were punctuated by periods of inactivity.
Wilder’s trainer and former opponent Malik Scott recently confirmed that he would be fighting on in an interview with Genting Casino and discussed options for opponents.
“I remember a time when Derek Chisora wanted to fight Deontay just because he’s into fighting dangerous people. That’s what he likes to do.
There was a time when it seemed Team Eddie Hearn didn’t want AJ to fight Deontay. And that’s understandable, considering AJ was their investment, and they had their own path mapped out. As for Ngannou, he and Deontay have been in talks before.
These fights have always been in the mix, but they just never materialised. It’s a blessing that you can take two losses, but your name and reputation are still so big that you’re mentioned at the highest level. Deontay’s still in the realm of big fights, still in a position to make a lot of money and history. He’s very blessed.”
Of the three fights, the long-awaited fight with Anthony Joshua is the least likely, at least until Wilder can get some wins under his belt. ‘AJ’, whose form has been on the opposite trajectory, will instead challenge Daniel Dubois for the IBF World Heavyweight Title this month. The Brit has not ruled out the fight for the future.
Derek Chisora is adamant he wants two more fights before retiring and, coming off a win over Joe Joyce, may fancy his chances against ‘The Bronze Bomber’ more than ever.
It appears Scott likes the idea of the Ngannou fight – the former UFC Champion who has lost his two pro boxing bouts against Joshua and Tyson Fury. Ngannou is making a return to MMA but has said his journey inside the ropes isn’t done.
“Ngannou’s focused on his PFL fight with Ferrera right now, and that’s a big, imposing fight. We’ll see how he handles that, and then we’ll see how Deontay’s feeling when he gets back into training camp. But all those fights are realistic, especially with the Saudi’s investment in boxing.
All heavyweight matchups now are competitive. Deontay’s always been about making sure he’s compensated for the risks he takes in the ring. If he’s fighting, he needs to be paid big. As for the biggest fight, it could be against Ngannou or AJ.
They are still mega fights. AJ Maybe doesn’t have the same juice it once did, but it would still sell out any arena or stadium. Just seeing those two in the ring would be a joy for the fans. If Ngannou keeps doing what he’s doing and still wants that fight, it could be huge as well. I’m proud of Deontay. He’s still in a position to make these big fights happen.”
Fans still await an official statement from Wilder.
