The 31 year-old, who is set to make the fifth defense of his green and gold belt against Pole Andrzej Wawrzyk, is recovering from two surgeries to injuries sustained in his summer triumph over Chris Arreola.
Without stating it directly, DiBella sees Wawrzyk as the perfect opponent for Wilder to feel his way back in before a potentially money-spinning clash with Anthony Joshua or either of the Fury’s, Tyson and Hughie.
“We are thrilled that Deontay’s two surgeries went so well and that he rehabbed like the champ he is,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment.
“As a result, he will be able to fight on February 25, in another defense of his WBC Heavyweight Championship against rugged Polish contender Andrzej Wawrzyk.
“We are not looking past Wawrzyk, but we believe we will find out that Deontay is back to full strength and ready for an active 2017, with major matchups ahead.
“We are happy to return to Deontay’s fighting home base of Birmingham, Alabama. We hope that Deontay’s fans will take advantage of the special ‘New Year’s Package’ being offered at this time,” he added.
Wilder will be an interested spectator on April 29 when Anthony Joshua battles Wladimir Klitschko for the unified titles, which could mean another super-fight is on the cards later in 2017.
As both Wilder and Joshua have big links with Showtime, a win for ‘AJ’ in the spring could see negotiations open up for a three-belt encounter once mandatory duties against Kubrat Pulev or Luis Ortiz are completed.
