Deontay Wilder is closer to a fight date, even if his opponent is still way up in the air.
The former heavyweight titlist from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, suggested in a recent interview that he will be back in the ring by August or September, and that he is currently narrowing down his potential opponents. Wilder delivered his remarks during an appearance at a fight card for Professional Fighters League (PFL) in Atlanta.
“It’s been a bit of a dilemma what path to take and what is available and what is not,” Wilder told the PFL broadcast crew. “There’s so many different things in the fight game. This business is, I always say, it’s one of the most difficult businesses around because it’s unstructured. It’s so many different directions business-wise. We gonna narrow it down. People should see me back, maybe, August, no later than September.”
Wilder was then asked about a potential two-fight deal (one using boxing rules, the other mixed martial arts) with Francis Ngannou, the former UFC champion who signed a lucrative, multi-bout contract with the PFL earlier this year. Ngannou reportedly has a clause that would allow him to venture outside the organization to participate in a boxing match. Both Ngannou and Wilder have indicated to the media that they have had positive talks with each other but to date nothing concrete has emerged.
“That’s a good question,” Wilder said. “I’ve thought about it many a time. With Ngannou, we were talking about getting together. You always see the MMA guys crossing over, but you never see the boxers crossing over, so I wanted to make it more interesting for the fans … [I asked Ngannou] ‘How about you come to my backyard and after we handle business I come to yours.’ And I really meant that. So things are still up in the air. I have seen myself on this side of the field. People would be very impressed with what I can do, my abilities.”
Wilder is also currently mulling an offer to fight fellow former heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua in a much rumored matchup for December in the Middle East. Wilder recently said he thinks the fight is “definitely” going to take place in Saudi Arabia.
Wilder has not fought since he knocked out Robert Helenius in one round last October at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.