Deontay Wilder is left with only one fight option if the hard-punching heavyweight is to return to the ring in the coming months.
“The Bronze Bomber” will have officially been out of action for a whole year next week. It will represent only the second time this has happened in his career.
The first was mainly due to the world’s situation during lockdowns and restrictions. Wilder eventually fought Tyson Fury for the third time in October 2021, twenty months after their rematch.
Will Deontay Wilder retire from boxing?
This time around, there’s a distinct air of retirement about Wilder’s delay. During a speech to unveil a statue in his hometown back in May 2022, Wilder staved off hanging up his gloves.
He promised to be active and give the fans the fights they wanted. Despite facing Robert Helenius five months later, none of what he said has since come to fruition.
“I can’t stop right here. But I must continue my journey. I have to, I have to,” said Wilder. “I’m looking to resume my career for sure.
“I’ve got a lot of other things I’ve got to get out of the way. I’m taking away from my children if I come back. Because now I can enjoy my life fully like I want to.”
That final line from his speech should really have indicated where Deontay Wilder’s head was. His time away between the second and third Fury fights obviously altered his mindset.
He’s only fought twice since February 2020. That will be four years in just a matter of months.
Who will Wilder fight next?
So where does Deontay Wilder go next? Well, there’s only really one option – Anthony Joshua.
Wilder has tried to get Joshua into the ring for seven years. Every time they get close, it seems to fail.
AJ’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, changes his mind on the fight seemingly every day, with the latest being that his charge could target Filip Hrgovic instead.
This is despite Hearn previously stating the fight was done for Saudi Arabia. Then he outlined that it was being moved to Wembley Stadium or Las Vegas, with different dates almost weekly.
A day before he changed his mind to Joshua vs Hrgovic, Hearn promised fans the Wilder fight would ‘one hundred percent be done in the first half of 2024.’
Right now, Wilder has TV commitments after signing up for “The Traitors” on Peacock. After those duties are over, he can sit down and negotiate a deal.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer.
Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
