Deontay Wilder to announce his next opponent in the coming weeks
Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has been out of the ring since last October’s one round demolition of Robert Helenius at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
For several weeks, there has been talk of Wilder potentially facing former two-time champion Anthony Joshua on a date in December in Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, Wilder has been linked to a WBC ordered final eliminator with former unified champion Andy Ruiz – where the winner becomes the mandatory challenger to Tyson Fury.
Malik Scott, the head trainer of Wilder, indicates that his fighter will not wait around for too much longer before making a verdict on his next bout.
Scott reveals that a final decision will be made before the month of July – on Wilder fighting in the coming months or waiting until December for Joshua.
“There’s no telling if Deontay will fight between now and December. Absolutely I would like to fight between now and December. That’s no secret at all. Andy Ruiz is right there in the mix. Anything can happen. We’re one move away from making very crucial decisions for the better of Deontay’s career,” Scott said to Betway.
“For Deontay not to fight between now and December, the compensation that Deontay would need to receive would have to be extremely high because once again he’s a businessman, he doesn’t sit around and wait. So, if he considers sitting around and waiting, then he will have to be compensated, and he will have to be compensated very, very well, because that means he’s putting a lot of opportunities on hold, putting his legacy on hold, and to do that you have to compensate a man like Deontay.
“The Saudis understand that type of business, so that wouldn’t even be an issue. That’s something that they know. If we want them to wait then we have to do this. These guys are real businessmen. They know what they want for the country. They know what they want to do and how they want to do it. We won’t be waiting until the end of summer to get this signed. I promise you that. We will definitely know before July.”
Credit: BoxingScene