Deontay Wilder is a step closer to fighting for the WBC and undisputed heavyweight title after the WBO put a mandatory shot for Joe Joyce on hold.
WBO President Paco Valcarcel is holding off on confirming a shot for Joyce in 2023 as current champion Oleksandr Usyk eyes a mandatory fight with Tyson Fury.
World Boxing News stated that Wilder might have to wait months after Fury fights Usyk as Joyce was next up. However, WBN understands this is no longer the case, and there is no set mandatory queue for the heavyweight division.
All bodies will have to meet after the Fury vs Usyk undisputed unification to discuss who gets the first crack. Therefore, if Wilder beats Andy Ruiz Jr next year, he could conceivably get put forward as the first undisputed challenger.
Who will be the first undisputed heavyweight title mandatory challenger?
Daniel Dubois with the WBA, Filip Hrgovic with the IBF, and Wilder or Ruiz with the WBC were widely thought to be behind Joyce.
But all four are back in the reckoning and will be able to state their case once Fury vs Usyk is in the books for all the belts.
If Fury wins and Wilder beats Ruiz, a fourth meeting between the pair will be on the cards. And that could hold sway over the other contenders.
If it’s Usyk, that’s where Joyce, Dubois, or Hrgovic would stand the better chance of being first up.
Deontay Wilder KO’d Helenius
Meanwhile, Fury mentioned Wilder in his recent car crash interview with True Geordie. The interviewer asked Fury about “The Bronze Bomber” crying after knocking Robert Helenius into the middle of next week.
Helenius took one incredible shot at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and almost didn’t make it out of New York City.
Wilder went to see Helenius to make sure he was okay and cried at the press conference at the thought of potentially giving the Finn permanent damage.
Fury responded to Geordie: “Maybe I knocked a bit of sense into him. Maybe he’s been humbled by the three beatings I gave the sucker.
“He’s a former knockout victim of “The Gypsy King.”
Geordie then asked, “Do you think you softened him up?
“I think so, you know. You never know. A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do. If that’s what he’s got to do, that’s what he’s got to do.
“To be honest, it’s none of my business what they do, to be fair.”
Wilder vs Ruiz
Wilder vs Ruiz is on the cards for March 18 next year, judging by a hold placed by Premier Boxing Champions for the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
It should be a solid Pay Per View event in the world’s boxing capital. The winner will then get a world title shot at the biggest prize in the sport.
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
