Deontay Wilder to return this year says WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman
Boxing’s heavyweight title picture has had a shake-up with the expected retirement of Ring and WBC champion Tyson Fury.
Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs), whose potential last showing as a professional boxer was this past Saturday, has seemed rather firm on his decision to retire. After retaining his belts with a devastating uppercut against Dillian Whyte, he reiterated that decision to retire.
"I'm one of the greatest heavyweights of all time!"
"I think this might be the final curtain for the Gypsy King."@Tyson_Fury 👑#FuryWhyte | BT Sport Box Office ▶️ https://t.co/b0uV32kqC3 pic.twitter.com/Nju6XYoOMj
— Boxing on TNT Sports (@boxingontnt) April 23, 2022
With the expected retirement, it would leave the Ring and WBC heavyweight titles vacant. Titles that would most likely be up for grabs in a bout involving former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, who we can now expect to see returning to the ring by the end of the year.
When speaking to Sky Sports, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said that following the consecutive knockout losses to Fury, Wilder has been taking some time to regather himself and spend time with his family.
He follows that by stating, “he’s enjoying life, but I’m sure he’ll be back.”
“I’m sure he will fight this year,” Sulaiman told Sky Sports.
Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) held the WBC title for five years between 2015 and 2020. He retained the title in 10 spectacular title defenses, including wins over the likes of Chris Arreola, Dominic Breazeale, and Luis Ortiz.
Since suffering consecutive losses to Fury in 2020 and 2021 and losing his WBC title, Wilder has been on the sidelines of the boxing scene. The good news however is that we can now expect his return.
As the number one ranked WBC contender and the number three Ring contender, it is likely that if Fury retires, Wilder will be placed in a bout for those belts by the end of the year.
With such a deep heavyweight division, who would you like to see Deontay Wilder meet in the ring for his anticipated return?