Promoter Eddie Hearn believes WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder would certainly accept the World Boxing Council's new position of 'franchise' champion in order to avoid a mandatory fight.
Wilder is back in the ring on November 23rd when he defends his belt against Luis Ortiz in a rematch at Las Vegas' MGM Grand.
In a recent interview, Wilder rejected the idea of becoming a WBC franchise champion.
Earlier this year, the WBC began the franchise champion trend by handing that status to Mexican star Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. More recently, they appointed Vasiliy Lomachenko as the franchise champion at lightweight.
The status of franchise champion is viewed as an abomination by boxing fans and media alike. The franchise champion is not really a champion - it's more of a status symbol within the sanctioning body. Whoever holds that status is not obligated to make any mandatory defenses. More importantly, the franchise is not capable of losing his status in defeat. If a boxer defeats a franchise champion, he does not obtain that special status.
Given those facts, Hearn believes Wilder would certainly accept that label if certain circumstances came up.
"You can't take anything Wilder says seriously," Hearn told Sky Sports.
"First of all he says 'one face, one name, one champion', and then we chase the undisputed fight for over a year, and he don't want to know, and Joshua loses and it's 'one face, one name, one champion' again.
"Now he says he'll turn down a Franchise belt. If he gets the opportunity to duck Dillian Whyte or Anthony Joshua, or anybody by being elevated to Franchise champion, he would do it in a heartbeat. Don't take what Deontay Wilder says too seriously."
