Deontay Wilder has suggested a fourth fight with Tyson Fury is "coming around" as he awaits news on a heavyweight return.
The 'Bronze Bomber' returned for the first time since losing his trilogy fight with Fury when he knocked out Robert Helenius within one round last year. It was expected that Wilder would then return this year in a WBC heavyweight title eliminator with Andy Ruiz Jr, which was ordered by the organisation with negotiations commencing.
However, the fight has now been placed in serious jeopardy with the 37-year-old's potential rival instead ordered into a mandatory challenge battle by the IBF with Filip Hrgovic. Many suggested that Wilder could instead go straight for gold and challenge Fury who he has lost to in two of his last three fights.
And in a fresh hint, the American star has since insisted that a fight with either Fury or Oleksandr Usyk are realistic options as he intends to hang up his gloves in the near future. “These fights are coming around. that [fourth Tyson Fury fight] won’t be too short either,” Wilder told 78SportsTV when assessing his potential next outing.
“The Usyk fight, all that stuff, it’s coming around. Everything is coming around like it’s supposed to. That’s why we’re lining everything up and doing what we have to do. I think this year and next year are going to be amazing. I only have a short time left, and then I’m out of here. When I’m gone, I’m gone.”
It is expected that Wilder will still try to agree a fight with Ruiz Jr who was initially expected to step up to the plate given the pair are stablemates within promoter Premier Boxing Champions. The Mexican star himself is eyeing a shot at Fury, and could be favoured given the American has already shared the ring with Fury on multiple occasions.
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However, Fury himself has also teased the fight insisting he would explore a contest after he steps in the ring with Usyk in an undisputed title clash. "I am not sure but I am not going over to America to fight him I have been over there three times now," Fury told Queensberry Promotions. "Providing he gets through that fight [Ruiz Jr] and I get through mine.
"And if the Oleksandr Usyk fight cannot be made in February, I will have a mandatory by April, he will have to come to Wembley in April. April, Wembley, Wilder. I have already beaten him three times though. Would people to want to watch that? Of course, they would. We would come over here and break all records in the UK with that fight. We would come over here and have a crowd of 94,000 with the event doing three to four million pay-per-view buys."