Deontay Wilder Could Fight for WBC Bridgerweight World Title Next

Just when it seemed like Deontay Wilder might never step into the ring again, news of a potential bridgerweight/super cruiserweight bout against Lawrence Okolie has surfaced unexpectedly. Wilder, aged 38, is coming off consecutive losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, the latter being particularly brutal.

Before facing Zhang, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ hinted at retirement if he didn’t perform well, which turned out to be the case. Meanwhile, Okolie suffered his first career defeat against Chris Billam-Smith but rebounded by moving up to the newly established bridgerweight division, where he claimed the title with a victory over Lukasz Rozanski. The big question now: Does Deontay Wilder have the desire to step back into the ring?

The WBC President is cool with the bout!

Earlier today, talkSport editor Michael Benson hopped on X to write, “WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has now publicly stated that they would approve a Deontay Wilder vs Lawrence Okolie fight for Okolie’s WBC bridgerweight world title, though no official request has been made for this fight to be sanctioned as things stand”.

But here’s the deal: Okolie’s got this mandatory scrap with Kevin Lerena that he’s gotta handle first. Once that’s done and dusted—or if Lerena ends up bailing—Wilder might just slide in for a shot at snatching that second division belt. Having lost to Zhang, Wilder’s prospects at fighting in the big money bouts officially ended. So, a move to bridgerweight can be his shortcut to title fights. 

Wilder hasn’t really said much about moving to bridgerweight, but he did seem keen on cruiserweight before. Since Mauricio Sulaiman has given the thumbs-up and the right offer lands, he might fancy lacing up again. Meanwhile, Okolie’s trainer has spilled his thoughts on the potential fight.

Joe Gallagher is onboard with Deontay Wilder vs. Lawrence Okolie

Well-known boxing trainer Joe Gallagher, who helped Okolie snag that green and gold belt from Lukasz Rozanski, seemed totally down with Okolie going up against Wilder after their fight back in May. Speaking to Sky Sports, the trainer said, “There’s a good unification fight there, and there are smaller heavyweights”.

“Deontay Wilder is only fifteen and a half [stones], and the weights of heavyweights, Lawrence is there at the moment”, the trainer continued. Gallagher further added that he would want Okolie to unify his WBC strap with the currently vacant WBA title before moving onto the heavyweight division. 

So, a fight against Wilder would be especially beneficial for the WBC bridgerweight champion, which will give him a taste of what’s to come without major risk because Wilder seems to be on a losing streak at the moment.

Deontay Wilder has already achieved greatness in the sport, having held the titles in the heavyweight division, so he doesn’t really need to prove himself in the lower weight class. However, money can be quite convincing, so it’s entirely possible that fans might see him in the ring one more time. Do you think Deontay Wilder should fight Lawrence Okolie?