After defeating Derek Chisora last month, Deontay Wilder is back in contention for major fights, and there is one heavyweight rival who has demanded that he finally gets his long-awaited shot at ‘The Bronze Bomber’.
Wilder has scored back-to-back wins for the first time since 2019 and has this year been linked to a potential fight with unified heavyweight champion Usyk.
However, talks have already failed for the match-up, and the Ukrainian is now more likely to face Germany’s Agit Kabayel, who is the mandatory challenger for the WBC title.
Despite that title shot being off the table for now, Wilder does not find himself short of options. There are plenty of rising contenders in the division who would like the American’s name on their record, as well as past rivals who want to make the fight happen before retirement.
One such man is former unified champ Andy Ruiz Jr, who told talkSPORT Boxing that he would relish a fight with the Tuscaloosa-born knockout artist.
“I want to beat up chicken legs Wilder, because that fight was supposed to be made so many years ago.”
Ruiz has fought just once since 2022, that being a draw against Jarrell Miller, who is also keen on a showdown with Wilder. Having now recovered from the fractured right hand that he suffered in that bout, the Mexican-American is looking to re-announce himself to the heavyweight division.
The Wilder-Ruiz fight has been discussed for many years and was actively being pursued when both men were under the PBC banner. It is certainly a fan-friendly match-up, and one that features two of the biggest US names from this heavyweight era.
Though plenty about it makes sense, Wilder is just as likely to fight a rematch against Chisora, with the Brit seemingly shunning retirement to make it happen after being frustrated by the referee and judges.
