By Allan Fox: Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay ‘Bronze Bomber’ Wilder has started training with former foe Malik Scott for what is hoped will be a fight in the summer.
The former heavyweight contender Scott posted a photo of him and Wilder standing side by side by side in the gym with the following caption: “Great session tonight, comrade. It’s game time. Glaz za glaz.”
The 35-year-old Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) hasn’t fought since he was starched in seven rounds by Tyson Fury in February 2020, and he’s rarely said anything since.
Will Deontay Wilder come back from his loss?
We’ll have to see if Wilder is mentally the same after his embarrassing loss to Fury. Some previously unbeaten fighters are shattered mentally after they suffer their first career defeat, and they’re never the same after. Could this happen to Wilder?
Wilder has normally been quite active on social media but he’s been mostly been keeping quiet in the past year, which has kept him out of mind for many boxing fans.
With Wilder now having been out of the ring for the past 14 months, it’s critical that he resume his career if he wants to be able to get to the level he was at before. Although some fighters are able to stay out of the ring for 2+ years and still fight at the same level as before, it’s rare.
Wilder’s mediation for his rematch with Fury is expected to be completed by next month. But even if the mediator decides against him, he’s still popular enough to get big money fights against heavyweights like Andy Ruiz Jr and Dillian Whyte.
For Wilder to get a title shot against the winner of the second fight between IBF/WBA/WBO champion Anthony Joshua and WBC belt-holder Fury, he just needs a good victory over someone like Ruiz.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing has already said that he believes that Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) will beat Wilder without any problems if the two fight. Hearn doesn’t rate the 6’7″ Wilder as a heavyweight other than his size and right-hand punching power.
Deontay needs to call out Andy Ruiz Jr on May 1st
Ruiz will be fighting Chris Arreola on May 1st on Fox Sports pay-per-view in Carson, California.
So if Deontay Wilder is interested in fighting Ruiz, it would be a good idea for him to be ringside for that fight so that he can step inside the ring to call him out immediately after.
Wilder and Ruiz are both with Premier Boxing Champions, which should make it easier to put a fight together between them. Ruiz needs a big victory for him to get the trilogy match that he so badly craves against Joshua.
Hearn already said that if Ruiz wants a third fight with Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs), he’s going to need to beat a top name. Defeating Wilder would be more than enough for Ruiz to get a fight against Joshua or Fury.
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