By Rick Reeno
BoxingScene.com had been advised that a deal has NOT been reached for Bermane Stiverne to challenge WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder on November 4th, in a Showtime televised main event from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Stiverne's management team of Josh Dubin and James Prince, have informed BoxingScene that they have yet to reach an agreement with Stiverne's promoter, Don King.
According to Dubin and Prince, a deal was reached between King and the handlers of Wilder - but King has yet to discuss the agreed-upon terms with Stiverne's managers or the fighter.
Stiverne, who is Wilder's mandatory challenger, was already scheduled to fight on the undercard of the November 4 event, against Dominic Breazeale. The winner of Stiverne-Breazeale was guaranteed a shot at Wilder.
But then Stiverne was catapulted to the main event, after Wilder's original opponent Luis Ortiz was removed due to a failed random drug test.
Showtime has already announced the Wilder-Stiverne showdown as the new headliner of the card.
Stiverne's managers have been unable to get in contact with King to work out the financial details for the fight and the boxer will not sign a bout agreement until those terms have been worked out.
Despite the current situation, Stiverne is actively training for the date and hopes a deal can be reached with his promoter.
The upcoming bout is a rematch of their January 2015 encounter, also televised by Showtime, when Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) dethroned Stiverne for the WBC heavyweight title with a twelve round unanimous decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Wilder has gone on to defend the title five times.
Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KOs) still remains as the only Wilder opponent to go the full distance. He's only fought once since the loss to Wilder, with a decision win over Derric Rossey in the fall of 2015.