Deontay Wilder fighting at bridgerweight for his return to the sport, received a warm welcome when pitched by WBN last week.
Oscar Rivas, the current WBC champion at 224lbs, would be open to defending his title against the American puncher.
Promoter Yvon Michel informed World Boxing News that Rivas would accept any advances once his title defense in August is out of the way.
Wilder has not been receptive to heading down to the lower division since its inception in 2020. He claimed he’s far too powerful to compete in the new weight class.
However, just two years before, Wilder had explained to his fans that he wanted to fight at cruiserweight to become a two-division king.
Back then, Wilder was in the midst of one of the best heavyweight title runs in years.
“What’s up boxing world. You know I’ve just been sitting in my car thinking. I’ve been thinking about moving down to cruiserweight once I unify the heavyweight division. I am taking over that division.
“There’s never been a heavyweight ever go down in weight. I mean, just for the fun of it.
“Just take over the cruiserweight division while maintaining the heavyweight division.”
Wilder harboring ambitions at 200 but not 224 seems a little strange. He has been putting on weight for more recent bouts with the far bulkier Tyson Fury.
There’s no reason why he couldn’t quickly get down to 224, though.
Usyk vs Deontay Wilder
That’s where Usyk comes in. If Usyk defeats Anthony Joshua again on August 20 and Wilder does take the Rivas fight and wins, the pair could meet in 2023 with all the belts on the line in both divisions.
Usyk has never weighed more than 224 pounds during his entire career. Therefore, he’d have a three-weight opportunity as Wilder gained another shot at the heavyweight crown.
It’s a situation never seen before in the sport and one that could be just one or two fights away for both stars.
Usyk vs Deontay Wilder all depends on the latter’s next move and whether or not Rivas would entice him enough.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
