It’s well known that Deontay Wilder is close to signing a fight with Anthony Joshua this December – but, up until now, the American heavyweight has kept his cards close to his chest as to what he’ll do in the time in between.
The two former world champions are finally set to settle a transatlantic rivalry that has spanned years but, as yet, produced no fight. Saudi Arabia are said to be forking out mega money to host.
It has been confirmed that ‘AJ’ will fight in August to get some preparation in, but, on the other side of the pond, the latest reports were that Wilder would consider waiting it out until December.
Speaking at a recent PFL event, he confirmed that wouldn’t be the case and set out a timeline for his two-fight year.
“We got a lot of great things coming up. It’s been a bit of a dilemma of what path to take, what is available and what is not. There’s so many different things in the fight game. This business is one of the most difficult around because it’s unstructured.
“We narrowing down, and people should see me back in maybe August, no later than September.”
Wilder has been out of the ring since a first round knockout – the 21st of his career – against Robert Helenius in October 2022, one that came from just his third landed punch.
Despite being ordered to face Andy Ruiz Jr as a final eliminator for Tyson Fury’s title back in November, talks barely progressed, although the Mexican – who is also a former world champion – could be in the opposite corner come August.
There are other fringe names available, but the big news is that ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has decided not to wait for the Joshua fight and keep busy in the meantime. It looks like fans may see all the top heavyweights fighting this summer after all.