Deontay Wilder’s coach, Malik Scott, has talked about who he wants to be next for his position, and says he’s focused only on the biggest names in the weight class for Wilder.
Scott named Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua as the two names at the top of his list of potential opponents for the ‘Bronze Bomber’, and the final knockout for the WBC world title against Andy Ruiz Jr – was supposed to take place in 2023 – didn’t have the same appeal.
However, Scott told ES . News that it looks like he and Wilder will have to “settle” for the next Ruiz Jr.
“What I want next is Oleksandr Usyk, what I want next is Anthony Joshua. Looks like we might have to settle for Andy Ruiz, but I hope not. “
“I don’t mean to beat Andy, Andy is a very dangerous boxer. But I’m looking at the history of making battles, stadium-filling matches like Joshua vs Wilder, Wilder vs Usyk, Wilder vs Fury IV – I’m interested in these types of fights. “
“But if we have to take Ruiz, then we have to take Ruiz.”
Wilder announced his return to the bottom heavyweight in explosive fashion last month, knocking out Robert Helenius in the first round of the fight at Barclays Center. With a clear path back to his old belt provided by the WBC, it was assumed that a fight with Ruiz would be a no-brainer.
Usyk has made it clear that he is looking forward to a fight with Tyson Fury in late February or early March. A potential meeting with Anthony Joshua and Wilder has been supported by fans for years, but promotional politics have prevented the two boxers from ever going head-to-head.
