Deontay Wilder says he’ll be fighting for a world title again — or at least, that’s what he claims.
In an interview with YouTuber Rangesh Mutama, better known by his online name N3ON, the Bronze Bomber hinted at a major development regarding the next chapter of his career, although the details remain shrouded in mystery.
When N3ON asked him whether he had a fight lined up, Wilder replied:
“I do have something coming up. We looking at January, I’ve signed the contract already. All I can say is….2 time!”
It seems clear, then, that the American intends to become world champion for the second time — but it’s not so simple to determine how that could happen.
The idea of the Bronze Bomber getting a shot at unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk seems extremely unlikely. The Ukrainian has repeatedly stated that his next bout will be his last as a professional, and it’s hard to imagine him ending such a brilliant career against a fighter clearly past his prime like Wilder — a matchup that would also have very little media appeal.
There are, however, two other possible interpretations of the former WBC champion’s words.
The first is that he could face Bulgarian veteran Kubrat Pulev for the WBA Regular heavyweight title. The 44-year-old Pulev captured the belt in December of last year by defeating Manuel Charr by unanimous decision in Sofia, and has not defended it since — which might make him available for a fight in January.
Another possible scenario could be Wilder moving down to the newly created bridgerweight division, whose limit of around 224 pounds (101.6 kg) would easily suit him. The current world champion in that category is South Africa’s Kevin Lerena.