On February 25th, Deontay Wilder appeared to be heading towards his first career defeat as a professional when he fought against Gerald Washington but that all changed with just one punch in the fifth round. Washington was sent to the canvas and it wouldn’t be much longer before the fight was over and Wilder’s undefeated record stayed unblemished. It was a great fight for Wilder who was behind in the fight and come back the way he did will definitely help build his legacy. So what’s next for Wilder?
The World Boxing Council (WBC) has ordered for a rematch to take place with Bermane Stiverne whom Wilder won the heavyweight crown from back in 2015. Should negotiations fail, then a purse bid would be ordered. Stiverne may not be on Wilder’s radar at the moment as Wilder would love to do something that has not been done in a long time and that is to unify the heavyweight division but there’s an uncrowned king waiting for his shot at Wilder or any of the other names holding a title.
Luis Ortiz was in the running for a title eliminator with Stiverne to face Wilder but the WBC has scrapped that idea for now and Stiverne has no interest in a fight with Ortiz and from the looks of it neither does Wilder.
Years ago Ortiz had failed a drug test which in turn has been an issue with a few opponents that were lined up to face Wilder. Wilder has stated that he will not fight a “dirty” fighter at all and has used stated so on several occasions including when being asked about Ortiz. Ortiz has since signed with VADA to be tested for PED’s which could work down the line to make a fight with Wilder…if Wilder is willing and no other champions/rematches are available. His opposition is often called into question and will be closely monitored for quality since holding a title belt.
