The rumoured comeback of Deontay Wilder could carry greater significance following the recent Tyson Fury news.
Last Friday, the day of his 34th birthday, the ‘Gypsy King’ announced his retirement from boxing. The news came four months on since he left the sport after defeating Dillian Whyte but earlier this month Fury revealed he was coming back for a third fight against Derek Chisora.
Among those wishing the WBC champion a happy retirement was Mauricio Sulaiman. The World Boxing Council President wrote on Twitter:
“We fully support his decision which is a dream for anyone to retire undefeated and as WBC champion. @WBCBoxing will prepare a special farewell event soon.”
Just finished a touching video conference with @Tyson_Fury who has confirmed his official retirement from boxing . We fully support his decision which is a dream for anyone to retire undefeated and as WBC champion of the world.@WBCBoxing will prepare a special farewell event soon pic.twitter.com/2SgCRILldl
— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) August 12, 2022
And then news arrived 24 hours later that Fury vacated his beloved RING magazine belt which is now added to the haul of championships on offer this Saturday when Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua meet for a second time.
But what of the prestigious green and gold WBC title? This past weekend Izquieradazo.com reported that the governing body have given Fury until August 26 to confirm his retirement in writing. By that date either Oleksandr Usyk will still hold three of the four world titles or Anthony Joshua will have exacted his revenge.
Should the WBC belt become vacant then former holder Deontay Wilder will have ‘first refusal’ on a title fight according to the Daily Star.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ has not fought since losing to Fury in their trilogy fight 10 months ago. The see-saw battle provided five knockdowns and now sees their titanic contest among the greats of the sport.
Since then, Wilder has made noises about retiring and fighting again. Recent photos have shown the American in training for his comeback.
Good to see @BronzeBomber back in the gym today 💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/GQhvARZVxM
— Badou Jack (@BadouJack) August 2, 2022
Speculation has linked the 36-year-old with a return in October or November against Robert Helenius. Should Fury let go of the title then that could speed up the official confirmation of Wilder’s return.
Wilder became WBC champion in January 2015 defeating Bermane Stiverne on points. A run of 10 defences followed, which included nine wins along plus a draw against Fury, before being stopped by the Brit in their second fight over two years ago.
In their current rankings the WBC have Wilder as their number one contender with Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker, who meet on September 24, in the second and third spots.