By Allan Fox: Deontay Wilder revealed last weekend that he’d be fighting three times this year, and he expects to be in action in May or June against an opponent he’s keeping secret for now.
Wilder’s co-manager Shelly Finkel said last weekend that they’re interested in fighting Anthony Joshua, but there hasn’t been mutual interest on his part. He says that if Joshua wanted the fight with Wilder, he could make it happen.
Joshua is currently fighting Jermaine Franklin next in a confidence booster on April 1st, and then he’s expected to fight Dillian Whyte in July in the UK in a stadium.
Whether Joshua would be interested in fighting Wilder later this year remains to be seen, although his promoter Eddie Hearn has mentioned that it’s a possibility.
If Joshua is interested in making that fight with Wilder before his career is over, he needs to do it soon because he could be one or two fights away from retirement.
A loss to Franklin or Whyte might be the tipping point, sending Joshua into retirement.
The former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-2-1, 41 KOs) said that he’s working on a two-fight deal for a fight against Francis Ngannou. If it goes down, it would be one in Saudi Arabia and another fight in Africa.
Wilder vs. Ngannou would be a celebrity-type match similar to the Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury fight last Sunday. Ngannou is popular with MMA fans, but he’s never laced up a pair of gloves before and might not stand a chance against Wilder inside the squared circle.
“I’m maybe fighting between May, June, and December,” said Deontay Wilder about his intentions to fight three times in 2023. “Of course. We’ll do it again, for sure. Stay tuned,” said Wilder to Fight Hub TV when asked if a rematch with Tyson Fury is possible.
If Wilder is going to fight Fury again, he needs to get some more wins under his belt before he does so because he’s only fought once since losing his second fight against Tyson, which was against his old sparring partner Robert Helenius last October.
“All fighters are a possibility. Ain’t nobody out; we’re having discussions with everybody, all the fighters, especially fighters at the top. Everybody in discussion, so I want fighters to know that,” said Wilder when asked if he’s going to fight Anthony Joshua.
“Ngannou is a real discussion. We’re trying to do a two-fight deal,” said Wilder.
