By Charles Brun: Deontay Wilder has temporarily given up on a trilogy match with Tyson Fury for his next fight. He wants to get back in the ring in January or February against some of the top contenders in the division.
Former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) says he doesn’t want to sit around and wait for the “coward” Fury to fight him eventually.
Wilder’s shortlist for next fight:
- Dillian Whyte
- Andy Ruiz Jr
- Joseph Parker
- Robert Helenius
- Oleksandr Usyk
Usyk isn’t likely to agree to fight Wilder, as he’s waiting for his mandated title shot against WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Whyte will be fighting a rematch with Alexander Povetkin in January, and there’s a good chance he’ll lose to him again. Once that happens, Whyte’s career will be over, and he’ll no longer be a viable option for Deontay.
“You can see me back in the ring sometime in the first week of January, the latest early February, and we’re looking through opponents now,” said Wilder.
“Dillian Whyte would be one of the lists, (Andy) Ruiz would be one on the list when I get back as far as height (Robert) Helenius could be one. You got (Joseph) Parker, you got (Alexander) Usyk.
“I want Dillian Whyte, I want Dillian Whyte, and I want Dillian Whyte. The dude’s obsessed with me. He acts like we had a bad breakup, and he can’t get over me,” said Deontay.
It could be a waste of Wilder’s precious time for him to get his hopes up for a fight against. Wilder has already lost all of 2020, waiting on a fight against Fury, and he doesn’t need to invest time in trying to fight Dillian.
Whyte not a realistic option for Deontay
As Charles Brun said, the chances are high that Whyte will lose to Povetkin, and then he’ll be null and void. Wilder needs to target more serious options like former IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. That’s a guy that will bring in the boxing fans, and the pay-per-view buys as far as American fans go.
As far as Fury goes, it’s too bad he didn’t want to give Wilder the trilogy match that they were contracted for. There’s too much money on the table for Fury with the two Anthony Joshua fights in 2021, and Wilder so incredibly dangerous.
For Fury to be messing with Wilder, it’s like playing chicken with a high-speed train. Wilder isn’t going to budge, and Fury could get run over if he chances it to face him a third time.
Soon Fury won’t matter much to Wilder, as he’s surely going to lose both of his fights against Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) in 2021, and his career will be on skidrow after that.
In looking at some of the recent videos of Fury, he’s living the high life of a millionaire, and one gets the sense that he’s starting to lose his love for the grueling sport of boxing.