Deontay Wilder is closing in on one year out of the ring – not ideal when he is angling for a fight with fellow former champion, Anthony Joshua, towards the end of the year.
The hard-hitting American heavyweight, who held the WBC belt for almost half a decade before he lost it to Tyson Fury, was last out against Robert Helenius in October of 2022.
It was short-lived, with Wilder producing the sort of knockout he’s known for before the end of the first.
Following that fight, the 37-year-old was ordered by the sanctioning body to face Andy Ruiz Jr in a final eliminator. A win for Wilder would guarantee him a shot at the belt he once held.
Not much happened around the fight for some time, and even the recent talks have seems frustrated and unlikely.
It’s well known that Wilder is in talks to face Joshua in either December or early 2024, presuming the Brit comes through his rematch with Dillian Whyte on August 12.
The American isn’t keen to sit on the sidelines and wait, but has struggled – much like Fury did recently – to find an opponent.
Former fighter turner promoter, Dmitry Salita, aims to change that, and has offered his charge, Jermaine Franklin, to ‘The Bronze Bomber.’
Speaking to Seconds Out, Salita said they were exploring the fight.
“We’re exploring a few different possibilities. I believe that a fight with [Franklin] and Deontay Wilder makes a lot of sense, because he’s fought all the top guys and is world class. I don’t know what Deontay Wilder has left after those three very difficult fights with Tyson Fury.
It’s something that we’re interested in exploring. From what I understand, one day the fight with Andy Ruiz is on, the other it’s off. So it’s a very fluid situation.”
The promoter also floated the idea of a fight with Ruiz, Joseph Parker or a rematch with Dillian Whyte.
Despite losing two of his last three, Franklin has impressed by taking both Whyte and Joshua the distance. He got back to winning ways recently in his hometown of Detroit by beating Isaac Munoz Gutierrez over the distance.