With Tyson Fury assuring us all he is done, that he will retire and stay retired, the WBC heavyweight belt will soon be vacant. And plenty of fans, as well as Fury himself, want to see former WBC champ Deontay Wilder come back and fight for it. Wilder has yet to confirm his intentions, with “The Bronze Bomber” not having been seen since his epic trilogy fight/war with Fury. Will Wilder fight again?
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman says he is “sure” Wilder – who, despite losing his last two fights, is ranked as the #1 contender with the WBC – will return to the ring soon.
“He’s taking it easy, he’s weighing up his plans for the future, he had a very busy reign as a champion, two knockout losses to Fury, difficult but he’s matured and he’s doing very well,” Sulaiman said when speaking with Sky Sports. “He’s having a good time with his wife, he’s enjoying life but I’m sure he’ll be back. He’s one of those fighters that you rarely see in the ring that has the ability to knock somebody out with one punch and he has had many exciting fights. He’s a great fighter and great person.”
Wilder, beaten only by Fury, is and always will be a huge puncher and he is as Sulaiman says, exiting. We don’t know how much those two defeats to Fury took out of Wilder, the third fight being especially brutal, but if he is still the same Wilder, “The Bronze Bomber” could certainly come back and regain his belt. Fury has said a number of times that he feels Wilder “beats everyone but me,” that Wilder “knocks out everyone except me.”
Maybe he does. And maybe Wilder will make his ring return later this year. Maybe. Wilder is #1 in the WBC heavyweight rankings, while Britain’s Joe Joyce is currently ranked at #2. Who wins if these two get it on! Joyce seems headed to a fight with Joseph Parker instead, so if he does return, Wilder may have to fight someone else in a bid to become a two-time champion.
What say YOU: does Wilder come back this year or does he not?