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After his monumental fight and subsequent knockout loss against Tyson Fury this weekend, the big question in everyone's mind is what’s next for Deontay Wilder?
Despite his loss to Tyson Fury, it’s difficult to deny that Deontay Wilder is still one of the best heavyweight boxers on the planet. That means there are no shortage of options for him.
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Sure, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ could hang up his gloves, and nobody would really criticize him. After all, he’s 35; he has held the WBC heavyweight title for five years, and has only ever lost to Fury in the ring.
However, Deontay Wilder has already stated his plans to continue fighting. So who should be his next opponent? Here are five potential options:
#5. Deontay Wilder vs. Charles Martin
One potential option for Deontay Wilder to face, particularly if he wants a quick rebound from his loss to Tyson Fury, could be former IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin.
There are many reasons why this fight would make sense for ‘The Bronze Bomber’. But the fact that Martin is probably a beatable opponent at this point stands near the top.
‘Prince Charles’ has not fought since February 2020. While he’s a highly skilled heavyweight, he isn’t ranked in the top ten by the highly regarded Ring Magazine right now. He was also thoroughly unable to deal with the punching power of Anthony Joshua in his 2016 clash.
More to the point, though, Deontay Wilder already has some history with Martin. The two men were initially pegged to fight at some point after ‘The Bronze Bomber’ lost his second fight with Fury in 2020. However, Wilder pursued his trilogy bout with ‘The Gypsy King’ instead.
That didn’t stop him throwing some insults towards Martin, though. Wilder basically claimed he only fought Joshua for a big payday, and wasn’t really interested in winning the fight.
While Martin never publicly responded to those comments, they remain something a promoter could use to fuel interest in this fight, which would probably not be much of a big deal otherwise.
To conclude, a Deontay Wilder vs. Charles Martin fight wouldn’t be the most attractive option, but it might still make sense at this stage.
#4. Deontay Wilder vs. Frank Sanchez
If Deontay Wilder’s promoters PBC want to make his comeback an in-house type of fight, they could look at one of the fighters who won on this weekend’s Fury vs. Wilder undercard.
One such heavyweight would be Cuban prospect Frank Sanchez, who picked up a unanimous decision win over the formerly unbeaten Efe Ajagba on Saturday. That helped him retain his WBC Continental Americas and WBO-NABO heavyweight titles in the process.
‘The Cuban Flash’ is still completely unproven at the elite level, as he has only had 19 fights since turning professional in September 2017. But he’s already 29, meaning if he wants to make it to the top, he’ll probably need to be quick.
Sanchez might be unranked by the Ring Magazine right now. But there’s no denying that he’s talented and carries plenty of punching power – as evidenced by his tally of 13 career knockout wins.
After his two losses to Tyson Fury, there’s definitely a chance that Deontay Wilder may be seen as damaged goods or past his prime. If that’s the case, it may well make sense for PBC to look to build a prospect up off his big name.
Whether Sanchez could live up to that is another thing, though. ‘The Bronze Bomber’ would almost certainly be the favourite in a prospective fight between the two. Overall, though, after Sanchez’s win this weekend, this fight might just work.
#3. Deontay Wilder vs. Dillian Whyte or Otto Wallin
Following his win over Deontay Wilder this weekend, not many people are asking about who is next in line for Tyson Fury. That’s because his next fight seems to be set in stone; ‘The Gypsy King’ is very likely to face off with the winner of the upcoming Dillian Whyte vs. Otto Wallin clash next.
However, that leaves the loser of that fight without a prospective opponent. So from that angle, a clash between Deontay Wilder and the loser might make perfect sense.
Both Whyte and Wallin are highly regarded fighters. Whyte has just two career losses to his name, and is currently ranked #5 by the Ring Magazine, while Sweden’s Wallin has only ever lost once to Fury.
More importantly, though, neither man has faced Wilder before, meaning either would be a fresh opponent for ‘The Bronze Bomber’.
Whether there’d be any money in such a fight might be another thing entirely. That's because, unlike MMA, the world of boxing doesn’t really promote clashes between fighters who lost their previous big bouts heavily.
However, Whyte, in particular, is a well-known name right now. So it’d be fascinating to see whether his chin could withstand the much-vaunted power of Wilder’s right hand.
Naturally, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ would need to wait for the outcome of this bout later this month. However, the timing would make sense, and from a logical perspective, a fight between him and the loser would be a smart one.
#2. Deontay Wilder vs. Andy Ruiz Jr
Another fight that could make plenty of sense for Deontay Wilder right now would be a clash with Andy Ruiz Jr.
Not only would that see ‘The Bronze Bomber’ face a highly ranked opponent – Ruiz is currently ranked #6 by the Ring Magazine – but it would also allow PBC to promote an in-house fight. That's because both fighters are currently under contract with the promotion.
Ruiz recently returned to action for the first time since his 2019 loss to Anthony Joshua. He outpointed Chris Arreola in May, and he’d definitely offer Deontay Wilder a very tricky test indeed.
As boxing fans have probably not forgotten, ‘The Destroyer’ was responsible for one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight boxing history in June 2019 when he knocked out Joshua to win the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles.
Despite losing them back to the British fighter in a rematch, he remains one of the heavyweight division’s most recognisable names right now. That means it’d be easy to sell a fight between him and Wilder.
More to the point, it’d also be easy to market such a fight, as Ruiz has still never been knocked out in the ring. That means the obvious question would be whether his iron chin could hold up under the power of one of boxing’s heaviest ever punchers in ‘The Bronze Bomber’.
Essentially, if Deontay Wilder wants a tough return fight, this would work perfectly.
#1. Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk
While it might not be the smartest fight for Deontay Wilder to take coming off back-to-back knockout losses, the fight that’d almost certainly be the biggest would be a clash with either Anthony Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk.
The two heavyweight superstars famously clashed just weeks before Wilder’s own bout with Tyson Fury, with Usyk largely outclassing Joshua en route to a unanimous decision victory. The win saw ‘The Cat’ claim Joshua’s WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles.
To nobody’s surprise, Joshua has since triggered a rematch clause in his contract – meaning that according to promoter Eddie Hearn, he’ll do battle with Usyk again in early 2022.
Once that fight is in the books, though, could either man face off with Deontay Wilder?
In a lot of ways, it’d probably make sense for the loser to do so. It’s likely that the winner will book a date with Tyson Fury – assuming he still holds the WBC heavyweight title at that point.
That leaves the loser with no obvious opponent outside of Wilder. So a fight between them and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ would probably settle who deserves to be recognised as the third-best heavyweight of the generation.
However, there’s every chance that Fury may decide to retire from boxing altogether if he defeats Dillian Whyte or Otto Wallin, meaning Wilder could end up facing off with the Joshua vs. Usyk winner instead.
Regardless of whether he were to face Joshua or Usyk, this would be a huge fight for Deontay Wilder, and would definitely be one that fans would pay plenty of money to see.
