by David P. Greisman
Deontay Wilder will still be fighting on Jan. 16 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn — but the boxer who will stand across the ring from him has not yet been confirmed.
That’s according to promoter Lou DiBella, who’s been involved with many shows involving fighters signed with adviser and “Premier Boxing Champions” founder Al Haymon. The card will air on Showtime.
Although BoxRec.com had once listed Artur Szpilka as Wilder’s opponent, DiBella said there was no signed contract.
DiBella and Wilder spoke with media who were at Barclays Center for the Dec. 5 fight between Daniel Jacobs and Peter Quillin. They noted that Vyacheslav Glazkov, the heavyweight contender they had been negotiating with, instead opted to pursue his mandatory shot at the International Boxing Federation title. Though the IBF belt is one of three major titles now held by Tyson Fury, Fury may be forced to drop it if he goes into his contractually mandated rematch with Wladimir Klitschko.
“I’m very excited to display my talent here,” Wilder said. “This is the next step in my career. I’m looking forward to it.”
Wilder’s past two fights have been in Alabama. While he’s fought in front of supportive home crowds, he also sees a benefit to performing in New York City.
“This is the media capital of the world. I want to break my talent here. There’s a lot of rich history here as well,” he said. “I want to do it as Madison Square Garden as well, too.”
That mention of boxing’s fabled mecca brought a comment from Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center.
“Only once, though,” Yormark said.
Pick up a copy of David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon or internationally at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsworldwide. Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com
