There’s no denying that Wilder has been one of the sport’s most colorful champions and deserves a lot of credit for helping carry the sport of boxing in the heavyweight ranks in recent years.
Wilder talks a good game, is always in great shape, has heart, and can punch. But he suffered his first loss in February, as he was stopped by Tyson Fury.
And we haven’t seen as much from Wilder this year. It now remains uncertain when Wilder will fight again, as his third fight from Fury appears to be off the table.
Promoter Eddie Hearn, who promotes IBF/WBA/WBO champion Anthony Joshua, has his feelings.
“Wilder? I don’t know any fighter that wouldn’t want the rematch,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “But I want to hear him. He’s gone missing.”
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum appears more interested in matching his fighter, Fury, against Joshua, as two potential fights between the champions looks likely for 2021.
“[Fury’s American promoter] Bob Arum says the contract has expired?” Hearn asked. “What sort of contract was this? We’re coming off a global pandemic and the force majeure would cover them. It’s all really weird.”
Hearn dug deeper, and feels Wilder has missed a golden opportunity.
“Wilder has missed the boat,” said Hearn. “He won’t get a shot at the world title until 2022 onwards because we are going to have two fights [with Fury] next year if we beat Pulev. Maybe he is done. You wouldn’t hold it against him. But I don’t understand the situation.”
Hearn recalls when Joshua suffered a shocking loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June of last year. Only to come back to reclaim the titles in December.
“I can only think back to when AJ lost to Andy Ruiz, you know? I remember going to see him the next morning. I don’t believe that there was a day that went past from June 1 to December when he defeated Andy Ruiz in a rematch that he didn’t think about getting is revenge and becoming world champion once more,” said Hearn.
Now it’s time to see what will happen with Deontay Wilder. He recently made news when it was revealed he has removed Mark Breland from his team after many years.
Wilder recently turned 35 years old. So he is not an old heavyweight but at the same time the clock is ticking.
Boxing will always have opportunities for its fighters and perhaps the recent developments could open the doors for Wilder against Ruiz at some point.
That fight would definitely be appealing to fans of the sport. Ruiz and Wilder both can punch and are two former champions on the comeback trail. There would be a lot on the line for the two men.
History should always remember Deontay Wilder well for what he did for boxing. It’s not uncommon for a fighter to go through things mentally after a loss and that appears to be the situation here.
