Deontay Wilder is ready for Tyson Fury.
The WBC World heavyweight champion defends his belt on Jan. 16 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, against an undetermined opponent.
The possessor of a 97.14% knockout percentage rate, the best knockout-to-fight ratio of any heavyweight boxing champion in history to this juncture, Wilder (35-0, 34 KO’s) would like to face Fury as soon as possible.
Wilder would first have to get through WBC No. 1 contender Alexander
Povetkin (30-1, 22 KO’s) as WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman stated following Wilder’s 11th round stoppage of Johann Duhaupas in September that a voluntary defence would not be an option for his next bout.
Even if Wilder has to face Povetkin in a preliminary bout to a Fury clash, it does not appear he sees the Russian as a threat.
Earlier this week, Wilder proclaimed, “Now people cannot deny that I’m officially now the best heavyweight in the world.”
Povetkin, rated No. 2 by THE RING, has won four consecutive fights since getting dropped four times by former champion Wladimir Klitschko in a one-sided fight in October 2013.
For Wilder, he would not mind having to fight in hostile territory to unify the belts.
“I want that fight to happen as soon as possible,” Wilder said to BBC.
“I’ve got to fight someone in January and after that fight, I would love to have a unification bout – and guess what, I wouldn’t mind coming to the UK for that one.”
Fury defeated Klitschko in a shocking one-sided display last Saturday in Germany.
An obstacle that would thwart Wilder-Fury is the existence of a rematch clause that would force Fury to defend his titles against Klitschko.
Moreover, when asked about the possibility of fighting Wilder following his victory over Klitschko at the post-fight press conference, Fury laughed.
“Why do we need to mention Deontay Wilder?” Fury chuckled. “Let’s have a laugh at his name, shall we?
“Wladimir Klitschko was the number one in the division, probably the pound-for-pound king. Why would I be after a novice basketball player who just came to boxing a couple years ago? I’m a true natural fighter. I’ve been doing it all my life.
“If Deontay Wilder wants a unification fight, he’s going to have to wait because Wladimir Klitschko has a round two. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.”
At this rate, we should not expect this fight to happen until late 2016, given both parties remain undefeated.
– Ryan O’Hara @OHaraSports
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