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.

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.

Charlo then launched into a longer explanation, questioning what version of Spence would emerge after his years outside the ring and claiming that style favored Tszyu.

“He has little defense. Errol will come in softly. He doesn’t really move his head. Tim moves his head. He throws a few stone hay shots. “I just follow my fighting style and be realistic.”

Jermell looked like a war veteran and described the fight, giving reasons why he chose Tszyu to beat Spence.

For years, these two towers were the “Twin Towers” of Derrick James’ gym in Dallas. They shared celebrations, sweat and secrets. The problem is that Errol was very vocal about these sessions, essentially telling the world that he was “teaching” Jermell.

For a guy like Charlo, who carries enormous pride and has built his “Lions Only” brand on being the alpha, having a former teammate claim dominance over him is a stain he can’t wash off in a sanctioned fight.

Having never fought professionally, these gym stories are the only narrative that exists and you have to wonder if it’s still eating at him.

Charlo also indicated the location, with the fight expected to take place in Australia.

“He’s going to Australia there. I see Tim Tszyu winning that fight,” Jermell said.

X is having a field day because Charlo looks like a man who sat in a dim room and watched Spence’s training videos over and over again. Fans call this the “villain arc” energy. He spoke quickly, louder and louder, and seemed personally interested in the answer.

During the prophecy, Jermell had a diabolical look in his eyes, as if he were performing a technical exorcism on his elderly rival.

When he has such wide eyes and high energy intensity, he tends to rely on his “Only Lions” personality, which thrives on perceived disrespect. In this case, the disrespect is the years in which Errol Spence Jr. he claimed to be the “substantial brother” at the gym.

“I don’t have to fight Errol Spence and I don’t care about fighting Errol Spence,” Jermell said.

Jermell is essentially using Tim Tszyu as a proxy. Since Charlo hasn’t fought at 154 pounds since 2022, he needs Spence to lose to someone else to prove that the elderly era (the Derrick James era) is over. If Tszyu destroys Spence, it will validate Charlo’s technical criticism and make his inactivity look like a calculated move rather than a decline.