Though he has yet to confirm, officially at least, whether he will actually fight again, former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder’s name has remained in the headlines since his last fight, this a June stoppage defeat at the hands of Zhilei Zhang. There have been articles about the possibility of Wilder returning at bridgerweight in an effort to become a two-weight champion, and now there is some talk of a possible fight between Wilder and the high-rising Fabio Wardley.
Shortly after scoring that crushing first-round KO over British rival Frazer Clarke in their rematch, Wardley, 18-0-1(17), was asked if he’d take a fight with Wilder if it was offered to him. The 29-year-old, who is now ranked N09 by Ring Magazine, said he would “happily” step in the ring with Wilder.
“Yeah, I would,” Wardley said in response to being asked if he’d fight Wilder. “It was an interesting name that I saw thrown into the mix on twitter and things like that, but I’d jump in and give it a go. I’d happily back myself against him, because ultimately it’s a battle of the bombs, and who could land first, and who could land cleaner. I think boxing-wise and start-wise, I’m proving that. I’m gaining more experience, more knowledge. Having Ben [Davison] in my corner, who’s already faced Wilder, is a huge advantage.”
Davison trains Joseph Parker, who won a wide decision over Wilder prior to “Big Bang” banging Wilder out. Now, if he does decide to fight again, will Wilder even know who Wardley is? No disrespect to Wardley, who is a real contender, no doubt about it, but will Wilder, 43-4-1(42), have even seen him fight? What would be the prize for Wilder if he did take on Wardley? Wilder would, in all likelihood, return to the world’s top 10 with a win over Wardley, and the fight would perhaps afford Wilder a big payday, maybe, if the fight took place at a stadium in the UK, perhaps with a strong supporting card in place.
But again, it’s possible Wilder has had his fill with fighting, and if he does come back, might Wilder pick a bigger name than Wardley? But would we watch if Wardley did fight Wilder? Darn straight. Plenty of other people hope Wilder has boxed his last, so faded he looked against both Parker and Zhang. But for the time being, Wilder, who turns 39 next week, is still generating some headlines.
