Deontay Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, says he’s interested in a fight against Anthony Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk next for ‘The Bronze Bomber.’ He states that the former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder will be available for a fight in January or at the end of the year in 2026.
Shelly says they would entertain the possibility of Wilder fighting Dave Allen next, but “he’ll [Eddie Hearn] have to pay for that.” The price tag to get Wilder to agree to a fight against Allen might be out of Hearn’s league. Allen is a domestic-level heavyweight, meaning that the amount of money available to attract a former world champion like Wilder is limited.
Joshua Remains the “First Choice”
Finel says that Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) is the “first choice” for Wilder (44-4-1, 43 KOs). He believes it’s still the “Biggest” fight for AJ, but he acknowledges that it’s not as big as it would have been if they had fought in the past. He thinks that it would still sell out Wembley with a good undercard packaged with it.
Deontay has a 2-4 record in his last six fights and is no longer performing at the level he achieved during the height of his career, between 2013 and 2017.
“He’s going to be fighting at the end of the year or early next. Our first choice is Joshua. If we can’t get Joshua, if we can get Usyk, we’d fight him,” said Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, to BoxNation about wanting to set up a fight for Deontay against Anthony Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk next.
Joshua turns 36 on October 15, and he’s looking for a tune-up opponent to get the rust out after sitting inactive for the last 13 months. It would be up to AJ and Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn if they want to fight Wilder.
If the idea is to get a sure-thing win and a nice payday, Deontay might be a good option. However, Joshua and Hearn would receive a severe backlash from fans. Wilder is viewed as a washed-up fighter at this point, and it would be a massive step down in class for Anthony to fight him.
Would Joshua vs. Wilder Still Sell Out Wembley?
“I believe it’s the biggest fight for him [Joshua]. It’s not as big as it was, but it’s enormous. Maybe with a good undercard, it would sell out Wembley,” said Finkel.
Compared to some of Joshua’s other options, such as fighters like Tony Yoka and Martin Bakole, Wilder would be viewed as the “biggest fight.” If you expand that pool to include Agit Kabayel, Daniel Dubois, and Joshua Parker, he wouldn’t be.
Dave Allen Fight? “He’ll Have to Pay for That”
“If he thought that if Allen beat Deontay, he’d be right there up at the top, he’s right, but he’ll have to pay for that,” said Finkel about Eddie Hearn needing to pay to get Deontay Wilder to agree to fight Dave Allen if he comes out victorious in his fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov this Saturday.
It would be interesting if Hearn was able to get the millions that it would require to bring in Wilder to face Allen. It’s doubtful that this fight would sell on PPV. Allen isn’t a big enough name in the UK, and Wilder’s popularity has dropped off dramatically in the U.S.
“Based on those two performances [Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker], I can understand why people would have question marks. Deontay is capable of erasing those, and that’s what he’s got to do,” said Finkel.
