Deontay Wilder could head into a world title fight in 2026.
Wilder once ruled over the division with his fierce right hand as the WBC champion. He knocked out the first 40 men he faced despite often falling behind on the cards in many of those fights.
It wasn’t until he faced Tyson Fury for the first time that he failed to win, and after that draw, he fought ‘The Gypsy King’ two more times, losing both by KO in dramatic fashion after hugely entertaining battles.
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Since then, he has also lost two further contests, one to Joseph Parker on points and one by fifth round KO to Zhilei Zhang back in 2024.
Many thought that could be the end for Wilder, given he is now almost 40 years old and has had 49 fights, with the losses to Fury and Zhang being particularly bruising encounters.
However, the American finally got back to winning ways in June when he stopped the little-known Tyrrell Herndon and was recently called out by unified champion Oleksandr Usyk for a showdown in 2026.
Speaking recently, Wilder also admitted he would be keen to take on Murat Gassiev, who has just beaten Kubrat Pulev by KO to become WBA regular champion.
“Congratulations to Gassiev. I think that would be an amazing fight.”
He had high praise for how Gassiev won.
“That was a beautiful left hook. It was very sneaky.”
Gassiev is a former cruiserweight champion who has had eight fights at his new weight, including a loss to Otto Wallin in 2023, and could now find himself in a fight with ‘The Bronze Bomber’ in 2026.
