Shelly Finkel, co-manager of Deontay Wilder, is very much of the opinion that in heavyweight boxing, you are only as good as your last fight. To this end, Finkel says Wilder, with a big and impressive win over someone like Zhilei Zhang, would be right back up there, banging on the door for that much talked of fight with Anthony Joshua.
But Finkel, speaking with The Sun, said Wilder would also “love” a return fight with Joseph Parker, the man who stunned the former WBC heavyweight champ back on December 23. Now, with another massive Saudi Arabian card in the process of being finalized for March, Finkel says, as far as Wilder featuring in a big fight on the card, “we would love that.”
But will Wilder fight in Riyadh, and if so, who against?
“We would love that. If there was an opportunity, we’d be glad to consider it,” Finkel said of the possibility of Wilder appearing on the March card in Riyadh. “We’d love to go back there and love to be on that card if it’s possible. You can’t tell in advance, but I’d assume that Joshua would beat Ngannou. Then, hopefully, we see the Deontay of old, and he wins. Then, of course, if those two were to happen, it would still be natural for Deontay and Joshua to meet. Go back two fights, people were saying Daniel Dubois was a quitter. Three fights ago, people said things about Joshua. So in a similar situation, Deontay has a good opponent in the next fight, and [if] he looks the way we know him to look. Hopefully, we have him right back there with Joshua.”
So again, who will Wilder face if he does appear on the March 8 card? Finkel has not ruled out Zhang, but he also says the rematch with Parker is one Team Wilder would very much like. We have of course heard this week how Parker may end up fighting Filip Hrgovic next, but only time will tell.
One thing we do know is this: Wilder absolutely needs to not only win but look good in his next fight, whoever he faces in the ring. A Parker-Wilder II would be interesting, for sure, but there is something that excites a fan when it comes to the possibility of seeing Wilder Vs. Zhang.
Finkel says correctly that a Wilder-Zhang fight would rival the headline act that is Joshua-Ngannou.
“I think Deontay and Zhang would rival that,” Finkel said of the March main event. “It would be a phenomenal show for the public again.”
We will know more about the next Saudi mega-card on Monday at the official press conference in London to announce the card.
