Deontay Wilder has been out of the ring since a sensational first round knockout of Robert Helenius back in October 2022.
Prior to that, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ had lost and failed to regain his title in the closing chapters of his thrilling trilogy with Tyson Fury – the final two stoppage defeats leaving many thinking he was considering retirement.
Despite confirming his intention to fight on with the Helenius KO, his time since has been anything but active. In November, the WBC ordered him to fight Andy Ruiz Jr in a final eliminator for a fight against Fury and his old belt.
Nothing came of it until this summer, when the pair confirmed talks. Things would quickly turn sour over purse splits, with Ruiz’s side claiming they were being lowballed.
The back and forth has continued but, speaking to Little Giant Boxing, Wilder’s trainer Malik Scott confirmed that the fight was officially ‘dead.’
“That’s dead.
Andy don’t wanna fight Deontay, and his way of saying it was asking for 20, 30 million dollars for a fight that you don’t deserve 20, 30 million dollars for. Hiding behind the business is what he did, and I truly believe he never really wanted to fight Deontay, but it was a good sales pitch and something to keep his name going.”
That’s despite Ruiz as recently as this month calling for Wilder to fight him.
Instead, Scott and Wilder are expected to move straight into a fight with Anthony Joshua in early 2024. The Brit has built up two victories this year since losing his own world titles, and his team have confirmed that Wilder is the fight they want next.
Whether either man takes a lesser fight in between now and that Saudi Arabia showdown depends on when it’s pencilled in for. It’s understood if it’s January, it will be next, but March onwards will see them in the ring beforehand.