Wilder: Gerald Washington 'Definitely Not' Ready for This Fight

By Keith Idec, photo by Ryan Hafey

NEW YORK – Deontay Wilder doesn’t seem overly concerned about Gerald Washington.

The WBC heavyweight champion admitted Wednesday that he doesn’t think Washington is ready for the type of fight they’ll wage February 25 in Birmingham, Alabama. The 34-year-old Washington (18-0-1, 12 KOs), a former USC football player, had just 14 amateur fights, didn’t make his pro debut until he was 30 and took this title shot on short notice once Wilder’s original opponent, Poland’s Andrzej Wawrzyk, tested positive last month for a performance-enhancing drug.

“Gerald Washington, the only thing I could say about him is his height, the weight,” Wilder said during a break from the trial for his lawsuit against Alexander Povetkin in Manhattan. “I’ve done seen a couple fights and stuff like that. Do I think he’s ready for this opportunity? Definitely not. He thinks he’s ready, so we’re gonna find out February the 25th.”

Wilder, 31, acknowledged that all along he wanted to fight what he considers a less dangerous opponent in his first fight following surgeries to repair injuries to his right hand and right biceps six months ago. The 6-feet-6, 240-pound Washington, ranked No. 10 by the WBC, has not beaten a ranked contender during his four-year pro career and fought to a controversial draw with Amir Mansour (22-2-1, 16 KOs) in October 2015.

The most complimentary thing Wilder, a 16-1 favorite, said about Washington was that Washington made a positive impression on him when they’ve met in person.

“The reason I chose Gerald Washington in the first place is because of the way he had respect,” Wilder said. “I never seen it. I never seen it. Most of these guys, you always hear them running at the gums, all the time. ‘This, this and that.’ They sound like crybabies all day long. But Gerald, every time he saw me, he shook my hand and said, ‘Champ, I’m ready when you ready. I’m ready, Champ.’

“It was kind of refreshing to see that from another fighter, to let [me] know, ‘I’m ready. I’m on your time, whenever you’re ready.’ So I was like, ‘You know what?’ When my man did what he did with the testing positive for whatever he took, the first man that came to my mind was Gerald Washington. He’s ranked No. 10, he’s ready to go and I think it’ll be a good test for the hand as well.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.