"If he's ready" - Turki Alalshikh hints at booking Deontay Wilder against undefeated prospect Jared Anderson for potential heavyweight clash
Deontay Wilder may be on course to face unbeaten heavyweight power-puncher Jared Anderson, according to Turki Alalshikh, a Saudi political adviser who has proven instrumental in the country's rising sports dominance. The news was revealed on X/Twitter by Alalshikh himself.
'The Bronze Bomber' is currently scheduled to face another towering knockout artist in Zhilei Zhang on June 1. However, if he is ready for a quick turnaround to make the Aug. 3 card, he could face Anderson:
"The talented Jared Anderson is with us now on August 3rd Riyadh Season card at LA against the 'Bronze Bomber' Deontay Wilder - if he's ready by then to fight after 1st of June's fight against Zhilei Zhang. I always believe that boxing would be at its peak when you have young American heavyweights like Jared Anderson which I also believe in his talent and his promising future."
For now, Wilder will focus on his bout with Zhang, who presents a significant threat due to his fearsome punching power.
Both men share a common opponent in Joseph Parker, who outworked them en route to two wins. His victory over Zhang was a majority decision, while the one over Wilder came by way of a unanimous verdict.
Both Wilder and Zhang are coming off those losses to Parker and are seeking a rebound win. With that said, they will both be putting much on the line, but this could also cause them to deviate from their usual power-punching approaches, as another defeat would send either one on a losing skid.
Deontay Wilder's expected fight with Jared Anderson would be a return to more activity
Ever since 2020, Deontay Wilder has averaged a fight per year. That year, he faced Tyson Fury in a highly anticipated rematch, which he lost via TKO in lopsided fashion. However, he contested the circumstances of the loss, accusing Fury of various misdeeds and laying out plenty of excuses for the defeat.
In 2021, they locked horns in a trilogy bout, which Wilder lost by way of a viral knockout. He returned in 2022 with a thunderous KO of Robert Helenius, before being handed a unanimous decision loss by Joseph Parker in late 2023.
If Wilder faces both Zhilei Zhang and Jared Anderson in 2024, it will be the first time he has fought twice in a year since 2019.