WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed in a recent statement that the sanctioning body will approve Deontay Wilder for the Bridgerweight title. The Bridgerweight division was established in 2020 with a weight limit of 224 pounds and is recognized by both the WBC and WBA. Currently, Evgeny Tishchenko holds the WBA title, while Lawrence Okolie recently secured the WBC’s version by defeating Lukasz Rozanski in May.
WBC approved Wilder for the title
Okolie will defend his title against Kevin Lerena, but Sulaiman hinted that the winner of that bout could face Wilder if he submits a request to the WBC. When Sulaiman was asked about the possibility of Wilder fighting for the Bridgerweight title on Twitter/X he wrote that if Wilder wants to fight against the Bridgerweight champion, the WBC will approve it. He further stated that they haven’t received anything from the Deontay camp yet.
“The Bronze Bomber” held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020. Now he has the opportunity to become a two-weight world champion by winning the bridgerweight crown. Despite recent defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, many fans are hopeful that Wilder will make a successful comeback. Wilder has been quiet since his loss to Zhang and many are speculating whether he will retire or continue to fight.
The former champion suffered consecutive losses
Wilder suffered consecutive defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhang. He was not competitive in either bout and lost the opportunity to fight Anthony Joshua in what could have been a great matchup. The former champion was criticized for fighting low-level competition during his tenure as WBC champion. Tyson Fury proved to be the biggest challenge for him and Wilder failed to get a single win in their trilogy.
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A potential bout with Okolie could be on the cards, as “The Sauce” has shown interest in boxing Wilder following his victory over Rozanski. During an interview, Okolie stated that it’s always better when the belt is on the line. Now, boxing fans are eagerly awaiting Wilder’s next move as he looks to make a comeback and become a two-weight world champion.
