Two credible opponents emerged after Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua finally fell after an eight-year battle for the fight.

As World Boxing News documents from start to finish, after nearly a decade of back-and-forth, a Wilder-Joshua fight is no longer an option.

Joshua now has bigger fish to fry in the UK in 2026 as the former two-time heavyweight champion pushes for a British superfight with Tyson Fury.

Promoter Eddie Hearn effectively ruled out Wilder as a warm-up opponent, leaving the Londoner’s next moves without the “Brown Bomber” involved.

After the summer warm-up, Fury’s double will follow and by the time Joshua is finally free, Wilder will be 42 years aged.

This causes Wilder to look elsewhere.

Deontay Wilder’s opponents

Joshua’s compatriot Moses Itauma has already called for a fight, putting himself in a risky clash with one of the best fighters in the division.

Itauma is already shunned and would be seen as a bad turn for Wilder.

However, what stands out is a potential Pay-Per-View showdown in the United States with Andy Ruiz Jr.

The two were linked to fights between 2020 and 2023, when, ironically, the Tyson Fury trilogy stalled before Ruiz’s contract situation made any agreement impossible.

As previously reported by WBN, talks on financial terms were finally broken off when the fight was already clearly decided.

The interest never went away. WBN also revealed how fan demand for the Wilder vs. Ruiz match had skyrocketed, generating millions of views as fans insisted that the fight would finally happen.

Now, after their September showdown at Allegiant Stadium, Wilder vs. Ruiz is the front-runner if either fighter is to return to the heavyweight world title hunt.

Following Joshua’s departure from the table, Wilder’s next move is under scrutiny and calls for a rematch with Derek Chisora ​​are met with an extremely lukewarm reception.

Whether he takes on an emerging name like Itauma or returns to unfinished business with Ruiz, this decision will impact how he re-enters the heavyweight scene.

The title isn’t out of the question for Wilder, but the next move has to be the right one.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Since 2010, he has interviewed world champions, published exclusive international performances and reported on in-ring performances. His work is distributed on major platforms including Apple News. Read the full biography.

Rafael reported that sources indicate that the junior middleweight fight is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, July 26, in Australia, which means the U.S. broadcast will take place on Saturday evening, July 25.

If finalized, it would be Spence’s first fight since his loss to Terence Crawford in July 2023. The former welterweight champion has spent a long period out of the ring, which would also mean him moving up to junior middleweight against an opponent who is naturally bigger and more busy.

This makes it a challenging return task rather than a unthreatening tune-up. Spence will return after almost three years away overseas and will face a fighter who has already operated at a world-class level in the division. This July will mark approximately 36 months since Spence’s last fight. At the age of 36, such passivity is arduous for most people.

Tim Tszyu is also trying to maintain his standing in front of the home crowd after a recent arduous run. Still, he remains one of the stronger names at 154 and brings size, pressure and knowledge of the weight.

The schedule provides a clear commercial window for both sides, with the Australian stadium-style afternoon event morphing neatly into Saturday night on American television.

Nothing is official until the contracts are signed, but if it does happen, Spence will take the risk immediately. Many players at the end of the break ask for something more fragile. This one goes the other way.

Conor Benn could be ready for a world title fight against Ryan Garcia, but there is one reigning world champion who claims the Briton recently pulled out of a title shot even though “the whole deal has already been done.”

Benn made his Zuffa Boxing debut earlier this month. defeating Regis Prograis in a 150-pound catchweight bout – his first fight at sub-154 pounds in four years – and now he looks ready to fight for world titles at welterweight.

Although his position as mandatory challenger for the WBC title put him in line to face Garcia, WBA 147-pound champion Rolando Romero claimed that Benn had withdrawn from the title fight.

I’m talking to Fighting Hub TV“Rolly” explained why he doubted the Garcia fight would happen and revealed that he expected to fight Benn until “The Destroyer” changed his mind.

“Conor Benn waived me, we had the whole deal done, we were supposed to fight on May 30 in Fresh York for my world title, and then he just disappeared out of nowhere.

Conor Benn was there begging to fight me. By the way, we already had everything planned, but he’s in Fresh York trying to create all this fuss and stuff – he did it for advantage. Same with this, he can do this with Ryan too to gain strength.

“They’re out there trying to do all this stuff, I don’t do this imitation beef. That throws me off, you go and do all this imitation beef and then you come here and act like a gigantic, tough guy and then you run away and don’t fight.”

“Maybe he was doing it with Ryan because Ryan would have knocked him out cool.”

Garcia and Benn could collide this summer in Las Vegas when Benn returns to the welterweight division in a direct world title fight.