Deontay Wilder Now Has 2 Huge Fights Lined Up

After watching Deontay Wilder's uninspired performance in a unanimous decision loss to Joseph Parker in December 2023, many wondered if he was done or on his way out of boxing.

Those questions have been answered in the form of plans for not one but two huge new fights for the former WBC heavyweight champion.

Wilder is scheduled to compete on the June 1 card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The undisputed light heavyweight championship bout between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol will headline the card.

Wilder will clash with Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang in a battle of KO artists who are desperately in need of a win. Wilder lost his last fight to Parker, and a mega fight against Anthony Joshua was on the line.

Zhang was outpointed by Parker–despite dropping him twice–when the former had an opportunity to face Joshua potentially or to be in the mix with Filip Hrgovic and Daniel DuBois' eventual IBF title matchup.

As it is, the two big punchers coming off losses will face each other on a stacked card backed by Turki Alalshikh.

Speaking of stacked cards, per Alalshikh, Wilder will enter the fight with Zhang with yet another contingency plan in place. If he can pass Big Bang, Wilder will take on undefeated heavyweight contender Jared Anderson on the undercard of the first event in the United States, backed by Alalshikh.

Thanks to Alalshikh's involvement, an August 3 card in Los Angeles will feature multiple title fights, including Terence Crawford, who is looking to capture gold at 154 pounds when he challenges WBA champion Israil Madrimov in the main event.

Per an X post from April 29, Wilder will battle Anderson on this already jam-packed event if he beats Zhang and escapes without significant injury.

Even before Wilder-Anderson was potentially added to the card, the show looked like a top-notch boxing card that could rival the most robust lineup of UFC fights.

Adding a pivotal and intriguing heavyweight matchup between Wilder and Anderson might be the icing on the cake, putting this one over as the best boxing card in years–maybe ever.

If Wilder loses to Zhang, it's feasible that Zhang could slide into his spot and face Anderson on August 3. While Zhang doesn't have the name recognition–especially in the United States–as Wilder, a matchup between him and Anderson is still compelling, and it would move the needle for the event and both fighters.

However, if Wilder wins and defeats Anderson, he'd seemingly be back on track to face Joshua sometime in 2025–provided AJ handles business in September when he's expected to face the winner of Hrgovic-DuBois in a fight that is on track to be contested with the IBF title at stake.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will fight on May 18 for the undisputed heavyweight title. Their rematch clause will cost the winner the IBF title as the return bout will violate the governing body's rules for its champion to face his mandatory challenger within nine months of winning the title or his last defense.

That soon-to-be vacant strap would be the prize for Hrgovic and DuBois on June 1 when they also battle on the undercard of Beterbiev-Bivol.

Looking deeper into 2025, the man who emerges victorious from Wilder/Zhang/Anderson-Joshua could theoretically face the winner of the Fury-Usyk saga for the undisputed title.

It's a layered and somewhat complex set of if-then scenarios, but unlike much of the past 30-35 years in the sport, the best are fighting the best, and that's what's good for boxing.