Deontay Wilder may not be the destructive force he once was, but there’s no doubting his continued penchant for chaos and entertainment.
On Saturday night, the American sent Derek Chisora into retirement with a frenetic but thrilling split decision victory at London’s O2, keeping the embers of his fading career alive.
Wilder’s jubilation suggested a personal epiphany that he could still squeeze a little more out of the tank, although there are certainly question marks over how the 42-year-old’s win over the high-mileage Chisora should be taken.
Lost, that might have been the case with the Bronze Bomber. But he didn’t, improving his record to 45-4-1 (43 KOs), thereby increasing the potential for further paychecks for a still-recognized name.
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Following his split decision victory over Chisora, Wilder spoke about who he might face next. He would also be open to facing British star Moses Itauma.
Is AJ on the horizon?
On Saturday night, footage of Wilder trudging through the back halls of the O2, seemingly ignoring Joshua, was well scripted, but the accompanying smile from Eddie Hearn fueled the fascinating tension between two of the heavyweight punchers of the past decade.
A fight between Wilder and Joshua has always been coveted for its brute power and knockout destruction, but as the year has gone on, there has been growing concern that it was a golden opportunity missed.
Joshua was the unified WBA, IBF and WBO champion at the same time Wilder won the WBC belt, but the fight was never agreed upon. Wilder lost to Fury instead, and Joshua lost to Usyk.
Will Deontay Wilder (left) finally fight Anthony Joshua (right)?
Joshua’s appearance over the weekend raised the possibility that the pair would eventually tie the knot, but his immediate plans are yet to be confirmed as he finds himself back in the spotlight following a car crash in Nigeria in December that claimed the lives of two of his close friends.
“Let’s give it a try,” Wilder told Joshua after his win over Chisora.
“You’re not ready for that,” Joshua replied.
“He’s so scared, let’s do it,” Wilder continued.
Joshua last fought by knockout of Jake Paul in December and was clearly on track to finally face Fury in one of the most anticipated bouts in British boxing history. Is it possible that Wilder will still be part of the team?
“I tapped it in with him and said, ‘Okay, let’s get started,’ and it was a no-brainer,” Wilder said.
Is Usyk on the cards?
Three-time undisputed world champion Oleksandr Usyk has previously claimed he has three fights left in his career, but could Wilder be one of them?
Usyk is currently preparing to defend his WBC heavyweight title against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23rd at the Pyramids of Giza. In addition to a third fight with Tyson Fury, the Ukrainian has been linked with a possible fight against rising heavyweight sensation Moses Itauma and the winner of WBO world champion Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois, whom Usyk has twice knocked out.
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Watch old enemies become friends and share a laugh as Oleksandr Usyk helps Anthony Joshua train. (Video provided by Oleksandr Usyk – Instagram @usykaa featuring @anthonyjoshua)
Wilder recently highlighted his interest in adding Usyk to his resume. Realistically, given boxing’s meritocracy, he cannot and will not get that chance, but the American is understandably pursuing big names in the final stages of his career.
“It can happen and it will happen,” Wilder told Sky Sports ahead of the fight with Chisora. “As long as I have the confidence to do what I need to do, it will happen. Unless he retires, and if he does, then so be it. I have to achieve what I set out to do at the beginning of my career.
“Why not score a goal while you’re inside the ring? I think so. It would be an overwhelming feeling for me to unify the division. It’s something I never got.”
“Definitely one more win (with Usyk). I’m hearing a lot of things. I’m not hearing too much. I’m hearing that he wants to fight me, and then all of a sudden he doesn’t want to fight me. When you put yourself in the boxing world, you don’t really know what to believe.
“He’s one of the best players of our time. I need him to accomplish what I need to accomplish.”
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Frank Warren reveals whether Fabio Wardley or Daniel Dubois will fight Oleksandr Usyk.
Wilder vs Fury 4?
Wilder was the centerpiece of one of boxing’s great modern trilogies, going head-to-head with Fury from 2018 to 2021, and despite devastatingly knocking down Fury in the first bout, he fought to a draw before being stopped twice by the Gypsy King.
It was a grueling, physically taxing rivalry that would take years out of both men’s careers, as evidenced by Wilder’s gun-challenged losses to Joseph Parker and Ji-Ray Zhang, and Fury himself falling short of his goal of becoming undisputed champion against Usyk.
Do we need a fourth battle? Some may argue otherwise. They’re not the same fighter and it doesn’t seem like another fight would make sense.
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Tyson Fury is determined to fight domestic rival Anthony Joshua before retiring.
Despite this, Wilder continues to believe in his ability to make a small contribution to the top of heavyweight boxing and believes the division can still be “swept out.”
“A lot of people doubted me, a lot of people excluded me, a lot of people threw mud at my name, but you can’t throw mud at the chosen one. I was chosen,” Wilder said. “Every time I step in the ring, every time I train, I just keep getting better and better. I’ve really healed and really come back.
“As long as they remain in the heavyweight division, I’ll be here, call me Mr. Clean, because I’ll be cleaning up the entire division.”
“The heavyweight division is nothing without Deontay Wilder. Do you know any other fighters who get things talked about because of the character I bring, what I say, what he says? I don’t know of any.”
“That being said, you need those types of characters: people who are genuine, people who are passionate about what they say and are not afraid of what they say.”
Will Wilder face Itauma?
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Itauma scored a “beautiful” knockout to stop Jermaine Franklin in the fifth round of the bout at Manchester’s Coop Live Arena. Photo provided by: X @DAZN
A matchup against Moses Itauma could go one of two ways. Some will jump at the chance to share a ring with the future of the sport in hopes of securing his breakout and headline opportunity. Others can only hope they can distract him with their own world title pursuits.
He packs lightning speed, youthful energy, and the fearless, terrifying knockout power of a heavyweight fighter who has yet to be injured or forced into withdrawal. Wilder can be erratic and inaccurate, and is far from the threat that troubled Fury, but the Alabama native will use his explosiveness to give Itauma his toughest test yet.
The undefeated Brit is the talk of the heavyweight division, fresh off an impressive KO win over Jermaine Franklin to improve his perfect record to 14-0.
After his win over Chisora, Wilder said of Itauma, “I’m in the heavyweight division, and other guys are in the heavyweight division. Why not?”
“I’m not avoiding anyone. I’m a veteran in this game. I’m looking forward to fighting any opponent, especially if the fans want to see it.”
“I didn’t know who Moses was, but I watched some of his highlights and I saw his last fight with Franklin, which was a hell of a KO.
“He seems like a potential champion, so why not give him a try?”
