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Deontay Wilder's next fight could come in July, his coach has revealed.
'The Bronze Bomber' has been out of action since a knockout win over Robert Helenius last year. Following the victory, the former heavyweight champion was ordered by the WBC to face Andy Ruiz Jr. The idea was that the winner would get a title shot against Tyson Fury next.
However, those plans quickly fell by the wayside. Instead, Wilder and his team began focusing on a massive December card in Saudi Arabia. There, the former champion is expected to face Anthony Joshua. Furthermore, the main event is expected to feature a clash between 'The Gpysy King' and Oleksandr Usyk.
However, Deontay Wilder does have a lot of free time on his hands. Furthermore, he's still in talks to fight this summer, as soon as July, potentially against 'The Destroyer'. In an interview with Betway, Wilder's coach Malik Scott gave an update on the heavyweight's return.
There, the trainer admitted that he hopes Wilder fights this summer, but he's unsure it'll happen. If he does sit out, it'll likely be thanks to a massive payday, stating:
"There’s no telling if Deontay will fight between now and December. Absolutely I would like to fight between now and December. That's no secret at all. Andy Ruiz is right there in the mix. Anything can happen... For Deontay not to fight between now and December, the compensation that Deontay would need to receive would have to be extremely high because once again he's a businessman, he doesn't sit around and wait."
Who could Deontay Wilder fight this summer?
Due to the massive Saudi Arabia card, Deontay Wilder has slim pickings for this summer.
While boxing has had struggles putting together massive fights lately, that hasn't been the case in 2023. This year, Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia fought, and other names such as Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. are also slated to fight.
Meanwhile, there's also the massive December card slated for Saudi Arabia. Promoters in the country hope to have the four best heavyweights on the planet fight in one night, which means that they can't lose before then.
As such, Deontay Wilder doesn't have many suitable opponents for a possible summer return. While Andy Ruiz Jr. has been floated as an opponent, so has former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. 'The Predator' announced his plans to leave the promotion, and start boxing in January.
