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‘It’s a great fight’ declares Brit world champion as he calls out Deontay Wilder for bout

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Deontay Wilder

DEONTAY WILDER has been challenged to a bridgerweight bust-up with a Brit world champion.

The Bronze Bomber’s future at heavyweight is in limbo following four defeats in his last five outings, the most recent of which was a brutal sixth-round KO at the hands of Zheili Zhang.

Despite his brutal and long reign as WBC king, fight fans have long thought the tall and wiry Wilder would be better suited to fighting at lighter weight.

Deontay Wilder says he is ready to face Anthony Joshua next in a highly-anticipated heavyweight fight | Boxing News | Sky Sports

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The recently formed bridgerweight division would be an ideal new home for the American should he try to breathe new life into his career.

And WBC titleholder Lawrence Okolie would happily welcome him to the weight class, telling Betway: “I think it would be a great fight

And he’ll always have what leaves people late and that’s his punching power and the name – Deontay Wilder.”

Unlike most of Wilder’s opponents, Okolie wants to feel the full force of Wilder’s cannon-like right hand.

He continued: “If I’m boxing Wilder, no matter what I say, I’m going to be a little bit apprehensive and think, ‘Okay let’s see what his power is like’.

“I think it’s a great fight.”

Wilder’s run of form has, understandably, sparked calls for him to hang up his gloves.

The most costly of those losses was last December’s defeat to Joseph Parker, which scuppered a two-fight series with long-time rival Anthony Joshua worth a whopping £100million.

AJ, however, refuses to join the growing list of fighters telling the Alabama slammer to call it a day.

The former two-time unified heavyweight champion said: “Come again if you want, but he’s got his family and there’s a life outside of boxing for him.

“I enjoy fighting in London, I enjoy fighting out here [Saudi Arabia], I enjoy fighting in America.

“It’s a blessing, and it doesn’t last forever.

“That’s why I say it with Wilder if he wants to go again, give it another crack.

“But sooner or later, Father Time will catch up with you – with everyone.”

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BOXING

‘BOXING IS AN ADDICTION’ – FURY REVEALS ALL ON HIS RETIREMENT

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Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury has opened up on his retirement from the sport. 

The Gypsy King suffered his first loss against Oleksandr Usyk as the Ukrainian became the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. The rematch has been scheduled for December 21, giving Fury a chance to avenge his loss. Another defeat for Fury will raise question marks over whether he should retire.

The two Usyk fights alone have earned him over $100 million, setting up his financial future. Another defeat will also reduce the importance of an Anthony Joshua fight, who is likely to chase a third Usyk fight if the Ukrainian wins. Fury is now 36 and has won every belt at heavyweight, even if he has not been undisputed. But Fury’s following comments suggest he will struggle to walk away from the sport.

Tyson Fury Oleksandr Usyk

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“I’ve been in love with boxing for such a long time – from being a little boy – and I’m 34 now. I’m probably at the end of my career in the next few years. It’s been a love-hate relationship. It’s been toxic at times. When it’s good, it’s very good, and when it’s bad, it’s very toxic.

“So I’m in that relationship and I don’t just abandon things. I try and make things work and that’s where we are at the minute. We’ve been in this romantic relationship since I can remember, since I was a child, and now I am a fully grown adult with a family of my own. It’s like, ‘Do I abandon it, or do I not?’ I wanted to walk away a lot of times but it always drags me back,” Fury said

Fury’s brother, Shane Fury, has already warned his brother that he wants him to retire from boxing after the Usyk fight. This is regardless of the outcome. He referenced how Fury took a lot of punishment in the fight, especially as he was nearly knocked out in round nine. In his post-fight comments, it was clear that Fury had been concussed. He wished everyone a Happy New Year when it was only May. Fury has also had three tough fights with Deontay Wilder.

The Gypsy King was dropped in the first and third fights with brutal right hands. Fury admitted that he feared he had brain damage after the third Wilder fight. He has also been accused of not being the same fighter after the Wilder fights.

He was dropped by Francis Ngannou, an MMA fighter making his boxing debut, in a fight where he was lucky to scrape through with a split decision win. However, the longer Fury stays in the sport, the more he risks harming himself. Derek Chisora has suffered similarly, as the boxer is showing early signs of having CTE. And yet, the 42-year-old continues to fight. Fury must avoid doing something similar.

“It’s like a massive drug and an addiction. I know it’s an addiction and I’m an addictive person. Boxing is an addiction; it’s not my best friend. It abuses me. When I come in this gym, it abuses my body, my mind, my soul. But afterwards I feel like it takes me to ecstasy. The rush is unbelievable. It gives me the biggest highs ever, but it also gives me the lowest lows as well. Boxing is more addictive than any drug ever. Ever. You can’t let it go,” Fury added

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‘I definitely knocked him out’: Deontay Wilder includes Tyson Fury in his top three KOs,

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Deontay Wilder Tyson Fury

Deontay Wilder included his draw with Tyson Fury when he was asked to rank the top three knockouts of his boxing career.

Many felt the former WBC heavyweight world champion was fortunate to escape with his unbeaten record after his first fight with the Brit, in which he scored two knockdowns but looked to have been largely outboxed for most of the rounds.

The second knockdown, in round 12, has always been contentious with Wilder.

Wilder knocked Fury down twice in their first fight, but many still believed Fury did enough to win

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He previously said he believed referee Jack Reiss counted slowly and so gave Fury a chance to get up.

When asked to name his best KOs, Wilder told Marcus Watson on Instagram Live in 2021: “Coldest knockouts? There’s so many.

“I’m gonna give you the ones that pop out in my mind.

“Bermane Stiverne II – I transformed, I had an outer experience with him. It was so crazy.

“Artur Szpilka, Szpilka was another one.

“And the 12th round knockout of Fury, because I definitely knocked his ass out…

“I won that fight hands down.

“Not only with me knocking him out and the ref giving him more time because he felt like it would be the right thing to do because of the type of fight that it was.

“It was a highly anticipated fight, had a lot on the line and sometimes these referees go out of their character feeling like, ‘I’mma do what’s best for the sport,’ instead of what is in the rules.

Fury floored Wilder twice and stopped him in round seven of their rematch in February 2020

“I definitely knocked him out. The referee was Jack Reiss and if you go back and look at any of his fights, he stops a lot of fights early.

“Sometimes they don’t even get to get up and he’s waving it off.

“When I knocked Fury out I literally seen it with my own self, that’s one of the reasons why I was so surprised.

“Not only with the count, but I seen this man’s eyes rolled back into his head, that’s how this s*** was.

“I seen his veins popping out his head and I knew he had a concussion. He was gone, that’s a wave off, period.”

Unfortunately for Wilder, he’s more recently been on the receiving end of highlight-reel KOs.

In 2020, he was stopped by Fury and lost his WBC heavyweight world title in their rematch.

Then, in 2021, he again floored the Brit twice in their trilogy fight, but was unable to finish the job,

Fury survived once more and brutally KO’d Wilder in the 11th round.

The American returned in 2022 with a KO of Robert Helenius, but has since lost twice more.

He was outboxed by Joseph Parker last year and then brutally knocked out by Zhilei Zhang in June.

His future is now unclear with many expecting him to retire, though he has shown no indication of doing so.

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BOXING

‘PEOPLE EXPECT A LOT’: JOSHUA AIMS TO DOMINATE DUBOIS

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Anthony Joshua Daniel Dubois

Anthony Joshua hopes to put on a dominant performance when he boxes Daniel Dubois on September 21. 

The pair face off for the IBF Heavyweight Title as Joshua aims to become a three-time champion. AJ lost his belts when he suffered two consecutive losses against Oleksandr Usyk. Since then, Joshua has reinvented himself. He is with Ben Davidson, as the pair have worked together for Joshua’s last two fights. Joshua has stoppedOtto Wallin and Francis Ngnannou. While they are not the highest level of opposition he could have faced, Joshua was praised for bringing back his combination-style boxing.

Dubois has also reinvented himself since his Usyk loss. The Brit was stopped by the Ukrainian in round nine and failed to get up in time after the count. There was a perception that Dubois had developed a reputation for quitting. He took a knee in his defeat to Joe Joyce. But stoppage wins over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic have allowed him to make history. Dubois is the current IBF Champion after Usyk vacated and was elevated. With Joshua being the favorite, he recognized that there was an expectation to deliver.

Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois: IBF champion tells AJ he is a 'king slayer' - BBC Sport

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“You can say so. Always developing, always learning. I do look back at my old fights as well. At the end of the day they were different types of opponents. I could have been beating a lot of lesser challenging opponents for many, many years.

“I could have been coming into my world title years now but I’ve done it early. So what I’m trying to say is that when I’m fighting guys, it’s hard to look unbelievable against someone that’s basically on the same level as you. World championship fights, they’re 50-50. But I get it. People, they expect a lot. They want to see dominance,” Joshua said

Joshua knows a win makes him mandatory for the winner of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Uysk, giving him a shot at undisputed. But he cannot afford to make a mistake as he has done previously. Joshua faced Andy Ruiz Jr., knowing that a win would likely set up an undisputed fight with Deontay Wilder. Joshua made his American debut and almost stopped Ruiz.

But he paid the price for being too aggressive. Ruiz got on the inside and dropped Joshua. The Brit never looked the same, and he was later stopped. While Joshua won the rematch, the talk of a Wilder fight died down somewhat. The bout never got made as both men would lose their belts. Joshua recently confirmed that he aims to retire in the next two years, and it is now a critical period for his legacy. But Dubois is ready to cause an upset.

“I’m aiming to be the best. AJ has been the king for a long time but on the night I need to be the king slayer. I’m ready to let my fists do the talking. I’m 100% ready to go, focussed and to train like a beast,” Dubois stated 

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BOXING

Deontay Wilder rises in WBC Rankings, still eligible for title shot

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Deontay Wilder WBC Rankings

Deontay Wilder has risen in the WBC Rankings despite two straight defeats and remains eligible for an immediate heavyweight title shot.

“The Bronze Bomber” moved up one place due to the World Boxing Council’s ruling that anyone challenging another organization’s title must be removed from the WBC list. This means Anthony Joshua, facing Daniel Dubois for the IBF belt on September 21, is dropped despite previously being the number one contender.

That honor now goes to former titleholder Tyson Fury. However, Fury is not mandatory despite having a rematch clause to face current WBC ruler Oleksandr Usyk in December. It’s a complicated situation that is also largely unfathomable in Wilder’s case due to his form.

Deontay Wilder rises in WBC Rankings, still eligible for title shot - World Boxing News

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Losing against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang in December and June is not a recognizable world championship-worthy run. Wilder’s record since 2020 leaves a lot to be desired, with four losses and only one victory. Only a solitary knockout of Robert Helenius, no longer ranked in the WBC Top 40, backs up any claims Wilder has to compete for his old green and gold belt.

Despite everything mentioned above, Wilder goes from 15th to 14th in the past month.

The four major boxing sanction bodies have discussed the possibility of featuring the other champions in the ratings. If this were the case, Wilder undoubtedly wouldn’t be eligible for a world title shot as a top-fifteen-ranked contender. Additionally, every WBA, IBF, and WBO titleholder would feature above the American in the current standings.

Wilder needs a victory to get back in the mix, having recently been linked to a move down to bridgerweight. Champion Lawrence Okolie accepted the challenge of facing Wilder after World Boxing News got the green light from Mauricio Sulaiman for the 38-year-old to contest the 224-pound if he so wished.

Without a response from Wilder before a scheduled purse bid with mandatory and interim champion Kevin Lerena, Okolie seems set to move on.

WBC Heavyweight Rankings – July 2024
1 Tyson Fury GB
2 Agit Kabayel Germany CONTINENTAL AMERICAS
3 Zhilei Zhang China
4 Efe Ajagba Nigeria/US SILVER
5 Jared Anderson US USWBC
6 Martin Bakole Congo/GB
7 Frank Sanchez Cuba
8 Joe Joyce GB
9 Bakhodir Jalolov Uzbekistan
10 Fabio Wardley GB BBBofC/COMM
11 Arslanbek Makhmudov Canada
12 Filip Hrgovic Croatia
13 Luis Ortiz Cuba
14 Deontay Wilder US
15 Otto Wallin

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