Deontay Wilder has a big decision on his hands in terms of his boxing campaign.
After a long period of inactivity, the former WBC Champion returned to the ring in December of last year against Joseph Parker. A win would guarantee him a long-awaited fight against Anthony Joshua and likely the biggest payday of his career.
Despite all that was on the table, Wilder was gun-shy in the fight and his trademark powerful right hand barely connected with the chin of a dialed-in Parker. He lost a near shut out on all three scorecards but promised fans he would be back more ferocious.
The opportunity to prove that came against Zhilei Zhang in June of this year. Pre-fight, the American had said it could be curtains on his career if he lost. Zhang knocked him out in five.
Even though there has been no word on his fighting future, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has been largely written off by fans given his last two performance but, if he does return, there are people waiting there to fight.
Should he want to compete in a new weight class the WBC Bridgerweight division awaits, but heavyweight Jared Anderson – who was promised the Wilder fight if he beat Zhang – is still up for fighting his countryman.
‘Big Baby’ told Boxing Scene he would ‘gladly’ make it happen.
“He’s a name, and he’s always going to bring his Bronze Bomber fans. As long as he’s up to it, as long as the fans are up for it, I will gladly fight him and share the ring with him.
“I think he’s a legend, as far as holding a title and doing what he did as long as he did – especially for starting as late as he did. I respect him as a person and I respect him as a fighter. I would love to share the ring with him if possible.
It would be a great thing for American boxing considering he was the American heavyweight for the last decade or so to really reign. If not, if he’s retired, I’m more than happy to have him pass it on to me.”
Anderson is 17-0 with 15 knockouts and is America’s heavyweight hope as Wilder, 38, brings his campaign to a close. With that in mind, an opportunity of a changing of the guard fight adds marketability. The younger man is currently ranked fifth with the WBC whereas Wilder finds himself down at 14.
