Deontay Wilder faces ending his career with a whimper if the American heavyweight cannot land a fight with Andy Ruiz Jr. soon.
Despite promises when speaking at the unveiling of a statue in his hometown, Wilder’s tenure in the sport has tailed off.
After beating Robert Helenius with an almighty knockout last October, Wilder was given a lifeline after back-to-back losses against Tyson Fury. However, a mandated battle with Ruiz continued to remain off the table.
Wilder pursued other avenues, like facing Anthony Joshua in the Middle East and a potential punch-up with Francis Ngannou. Nothing materialized, and “The Bronze Bomber” was forced to return to the WBC’s original offer.
Deontay Wilder vs Andy Ruiz Jr talks
After weeks of back-and-forth negotiations, Wilder vs Ruiz has gone quiet. Many hope this means an announcement is due. However, if it’s the opposite and the pair cannot agree on a deal, Wilder’s only avenue back to a world title shot in the next twelve months will disappear.
By the time Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury become free of obligations, potentially against each other in 2024, Wilder will be forty years old. He will be facing his final months as a fighter.
Facing Helenius in his last event didn’t light any fires for fans. Therefore, going over the same ground will only polarize audiences further.
After the Fury trilogy, Wilder has the face the best before he bows out for good. By his admission, that won’t be long after he hits the magical forty mark.
Without Ruiz, Usyk, Joshua, or a fourth fight with Fury, Wilder will leave the sport with a whimper. His five-year WBC title reign will be followed by a similar length of time represented by a void.
Currently, Ruiz is the gatekeeper to a world title shot that the WBC must mandate for the winner. They need to get the details finalized for what would be the heavyweight event of the year,
Las Vegas or Los Angeles in the fall is the ideal scenario.
WBC mandatory heavyweight title shot
Once they trade, and if Wilder prevails, a fourth fight with Fury will be ordered for spring 2024. London, England, or Saudi Arabia will be favored to host.
The only other option for Wilder would be to face lesser opposition and wait for Usyk, who has mandatory obligations of his own.
His own Tyson Fury situation, which delayed his career due to broken negotiations, means the WBA, IBF, and WBO want their stipulations over the next twelve months.
Squeezing a fight with Wilder, including a contracted rematch, seems impossible for the Ukrainian master.
The only option for Wilder is to agree with Ruiz now. He has to get the fight on and give the fans something to cheer about.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer.
