Bookies are placing odds on Oleksandr Usyk being the next opponent to face Deontay Wilder. However, whether or not this bout will occur remains to be seen since Usyk is believed to be set for a rematch against Anthony Joshua.
Fury will likely be heading for a mandatory defense of his title if Otto Wallin is beaten by Dillian Whyte later in the month. When it comes to Wilder himself, the Bronze Bomber’s medical suspension handed to him by the NSAC will last for 6-months. However, once that is over, he’ll have many options, bearing in mind that his losing effort in the bout against Fury was still imposing.
Sportsbooks now believe that Oleksandr Usyk, the unified heavyweight champion, will be the favourite to take on Wilder next. The former unified champion, Anthony Joshua is the next favourite, while Dillian Whyte, the interim WBC heavyweight champ, is third in line. Whyte’s opponent on 30th October, Otto Wallin, has been listed as the fourth favourite while Andy Ruiz, the former heavyweight champ, is the fifth in line.
Now Wilder has lost to Tyson Fury twice, back to back. His next top option is fighting the holder of the other heavyweight belts – Usyk. There’s a problem, though. Usyk is obligated by contract to participate in the rematch against Anthony Joshua since AJ has activated the clause requiring a rematch that was included in the fight contract. Joshua’s belts were taken from him by Usyk in a unanimous decision after the boxers fought each other at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 25th September.
If the bookies are right, Wilder will sit out for a long while as he waits for Joshua and Usyk to finish up with each other. But that wouldn’t be surprising since Wilder got knocked out in 2 consecutive bouts by Fury – he’ll likely need some time to regroup and heal.
Yet, while Joshua and Usyk’s rematch is expected, some people within AJ’s inner circle have said he must fight somebody else before he faces Usyk again – could that somebody be Wilder? After all, when Wilder was champion, he was linked once to Joshua. However, if Joshua thinks risking an Usyk rematch by fighting Wilder would be too dangerous, he could handpick a different opponent easily, thus leaving Wilder free to face Usyk next.
Dillian Whyte represents an exciting possibility for Wilder since Whyte has also become famous for having impressive knockout power. There’s an issue here again, though. On 30th October, Whyte will be facing Otto Wallin. If he beats Wallin, the WBC has stated that Whyte will become the mandatory challenger for Tyson Fury. So if Whyte beats Wallin, Whyte will almost certainly be fighting Fury next. Of course, if Wallin is the victor, this will complicate matters further!
If Wallin wins, he still isn’t guaranteed a shot at the title against Fury. Therefore, Wallin still might be fighting Wilder, whether or not the German loses or wins against Whyte. And what about Whyte? Well, he could face Wilder if Wallin beats him, but if he wins, he won’t risk his shot at the title against Tyson Fury by fighting Wilder, who’s a dangerous bet, first.
Another potential option to go up against Wilder is Andy Ruiz. Coming off the back of his hard-earned win against Chris Arreola, the Destroyer needs to fight either Charles Martin or Luis Martin before the year ends – Wilder has knocked both out. However, if Ruiz is looking for a serious fight and Deontay Wilder is keen to fight as early as possible, they may consider going up against each other for their upcoming bouts.
