It is safe to say former WBC heavyweight world champion, Deontay Wilder, is one of the most polarizing and popular fighters in the modern landscape of boxing. The last heavyweight champion in the modern era from the United States who held his world title for five years with ten successful world title defenses, Wilder has become someone most fight fans know of.
Wilder found himself in a modern masterpiece against Tyson Fury that became the greatest heavyweight trilogy of my lifetime. After the first fight was ruled a draw, Fury would knockout Wilder in the following two bouts. Wilder return last fall to face former sparring partner Robert Helenius stopping Helenius in the first-round. Rumors had circulated the internet that Wilder might be a free agent, but as is the case those are often just that - rumors. iDBoxing recently caught up with Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel who gave clarity to the situation.
The fight many have been expecting to get announced was a WBC final eliminator bout between Wilder and Andy Ruiz Jr., a beloved fighter, who is the first Mexican heavyweight champion, and dawns the physique closer to your uncle than a professional athlete. Ruiz Jr., upset Anthony Joshua in New York City, to become a force in pop-culture at large. Many believed that Wilder and Ruiz Jr., would face off sometime this year on pay-per-view, but with Ruiz making cryptic posts about no longer being promoted by TGB Promotions, one can not fully say what the future holds for this bout.
“I hope so,” said Finkel, when asked by iDboxing about if a fight Andy Ruiz Jr. could be next. “…there are still a couple of things on the plate that we got to clear.”
The other tasting offering fight fans would like to see is Deontay Wilder versus Anthony Joshua. As during the 2017-2018 era of the sport, many fight fans felt that those were the two best heavyweights. Sadly, results told us otherwise, but they are still two of the most profitable heavyweights. Finkel explained that they have never had any resistance to this fight.
“[Hearn] and I get along very well, and he still hasn’t delivered [Anthony] Joshua," said Shelly Finkel on a mega-fight between Wilder and Joshua. “Go ask [Eddie Hearn], if it was up to me I’d say ‘yes’. I have been trying for five years, I guess, and it is not because of our side.”