Three names Deontay Wilder may struggle on subsequent Saudi mega card

Deontay Wilder’s shock defeat to Joseph Parker final month wrecked lots of people’s plans. The “Bronze Bomber” had put pen to paper on a deal to satisfy Anthony Joshua in a mega-money showdown in Saudi Arabia in March, however the settlement was left in tatters when Parker schooled the previous WBC heavyweight champion over 12 surprisingly easy rounds in Riyadh on December 23.

The boxing world has carried on turning whereas Wilder has been left staring at the drawing board. The first equation the American should work out is does he even need to struggle once more? Certainly, his post-fight interview within the fast aftermath of the lifeless efficiency in opposition to Parker recommended he was a person who may stroll away from the game content material.

But the knockout artist will all the time have a suggestion to struggle someplace on the planet and it appears Saudi Arabia has not been deterred by Wilder’s listless effort just a few weeks ago. According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, Wilder has choices to struggle on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s March 8 showdown with MMA superstar Francis Ngannou – the person many individuals imagine beat Tyson Fury throughout their bout within the Kingdom in November.

With Joshua transferring on with out him, the belts locked up forward of the undisputed conflict between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, and his credibility at an all-time low, who next for Wilder? Here are three opponents who may make sense for the 38-year-old to revive his profession…

Andy Ruiz

While Zhang has raised his profile with exercise over the previous yr, the profession of Ruiz (35-2) has stagnated since he forfeited his titles again to Joshua a number of months after his large upset win over the previous Olympic champion in 2019. The 34-year-old has boxed simply twice since, most just lately in September 2022 when he outpointed Luis Ortiz.

But the Mexican-American is keen to money in on the Saudi riches being pumped into the game, attending the “Day of Reckoning” and watching Wilder’s defeat from ringside. It is a matchup that will have the business attraction the organisers will probably be searching for, and it additionally may come at a beneficial time for Wilder. Ruiz’s professionalism has been pretty questioned and after nearly 18 months out of the ring, one has to surprise if he has the identical hand velocity that rocked Joshua at Madison Square Garden.

Daniel Dubois

The Englishman picked up a career-best win on the “Day of Reckoning” card, stopping Jarrell Miller after shelling out a 10-round beatdown and he definitely impressed the Saudi bankrollers within the course of. Dubois (20-2) is blessed with severe energy and is a a lot youthful man at 26 years outdated, a mixture which may put Wilder off.

But if the “Bronze Bomber” is keen to show that his efficiency in opposition to Parker was only a blip, taking out Dubois just some months later can be a reasonably robust assertion that might reopen the door to a struggle with Joshua.