Deontay Wilder is having a busy week.
On Monday, it had seemed as if the WBC heavyweight champion was set to face enormous pressure, as Anthony Joshua — the other boxing heavyweight champion — gears up to meet Andy Ruiz on Saturday night. Joshua had made no secret of his intention to call out Wilder should he win, in an attempt to bring together the most anticipated match up in boxing.
Instead, Wilder announced he had signed to rematch Luis Ortiz, claiming their first contest was controversial and required being run back. Now today, in something of an unprecedented move, Wilder has gone one step further, announcing that after he fights Ortiz for the second time in September, he’ll move on to rematch Tyson Fury early next year.
Wilder’s announcement was then confirmed by various boxing outlets, saying that it was most likely going to be a joint broadcast with Fury’s Top Rank and Wilder’s partners PBC.
While it continues to mean a unification fight between Wilder and Joshua is sent further down the road, it gives fans a chance to see a rematch of a heavyweight classic. Last year, Fury returned to the ring after years of depression and drug abuse, and drew with Wilder after stunningly standing up after a twelfth round knockdown.
It was a controversial decision, and many felt Fury had done enough to walk out the winner.
