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Home » Oscar Rivas willing to give Deontay Wilder two-weight WBC title shot

Oscar Rivas willing to give Deontay Wilder two-weight WBC title shot

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  • 3 min read

Deontay Wilder has the opportunity to face WBC champion Oscar Rivas in a bid to become a two-weight king.

World Boxing News can reveal the idea was put to Rivas’ promoter Yvon Michael of GYM following an article on the matter from Sunday.

It’s believed Wilder is lacking options to get up for as he recently stated he “may come back or may not” in an interview.

The possibility of becoming a two-division ruler by challenging Rivas for the super-cruiserweight belt could be one Wilder gets up for after two losses.

Wilder has dismissed the chance in the past. However, things are different now.

“The Bronze Bomber” has no way of extending his 13-fight world title fight streak after completing a trilogy with Tyson Fury. But it’s a no-brainer if Wilder wants to go straight into another world championship bout.

Oscar Rivas vs. Deontay Wilder

Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is locked into a rematch with Anthony Joshua and a further mandatory, meaning he’d have to shed a little weight for a title.

Rivas holds the newest WBC title created for those smaller heavyweights. The limit is 224 pounds; a benchmark Wilder could easily make.

It will be interesting to see if Wilder would change his mind. That’s if Rivas and his team make an official offer in writing.

Oscar Rivas Ryan Rosicki bridgerweight
WBC

WBN asked Michel if the Canada-based Colombian would consider it after his next scheduled defense.

Michel told World Boxing News: “You are absolutely right. Oscar Rivas would never turn down any important challenges after the August 13 Battle of Cali against Lukasz Rozanski!”

Now that Rivas and Michel are on board, the ball would be in their court to contact Wilder and Al Haymon after mid-August.

A win over Rozankski could hold a new meaning for Rivas if Haymon and Wilder give the idea a warm reception.

Ruiz PPV

And barring a world title fight, there aren’t many fights that make sense for Wilder’s comeback. Andy Ruiz Jr., the intended target for Haymon since 2020, will be out of action until December or January 2023.

This scenario leaves Wilder free to negotiate a return against Rivas for October or November before moving back to heavyweight for Ruiz. The fight could even be a vacant WBC title fight, dependent on what Fury does over the coming months.

The choice lies with Deontay Wilder. He either takes a warm-up fight against an also-ran opponent or goes for glory against Rivas to potentially become a two-weight WBC champion.

At 36, retirement would be an unnecessary alternative and certainly the last resort.

WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Furthermore, follow World Boxing News on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.