Deontay Wilder has been advised to fight Swedish heavyweight Otto Wallin when he makes his heavyweight comeback.
The 'Bronze Bomber' recently announced his plans to return to the ring after previously contemplating retirement following his trilogy defeat by Tyson Fury. The former champion remains positioned at No.1 in the WBC rankings and could rekindle world title hopes next year if he makes a return.
Boxing promoter Dmitry Salita believes a fight between Wilder and Wallin could be contested for the WBC interim title while Fury decides his future in the sport. "Deontay Wilder is the perfect opponent for Otto Wallin because Otto gave Tyson Fury the toughest fight of his career. That is the fact," Salita told Vegas Insider. "Deontay Wilder had a memorable trilogy with Tyson Fury. He lost twice and drew.
"And if Wilder wants to prove that he is truly on his way back to stardom there's no better person for him to fight with to prove he's serious about being back on top then Otto. Otto is moving up in the ratings as a result of his wins. He's fought twice this year which for a heavyweight of his stature is remarkable. And that shows that he's serious about his career.
"The perfect situation would be Deontay Wilder fighting Otto Wallin for the WBC interim world title as Tyson Fury announced his retirement and is really unsure from what I understand what his boxing plans may or may not be. But until he makes a decision, that's the reason why I say interim title because Otto and Wilder would need to be for something significant. I've reached out [to Wilder's team] and made it known that we're available and interested in pursuing a fight with Deontay Wilder."
Wilder broke his hand during a thrilling third meeting with Fury last year, where he floored the champion twice despite falling to defeat. His future was left up in the air as he found himself out of the title picture for the first time.
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However, he has since confirmed his plans to return to the ring and believes the sport would not be exciting without an American heavyweight champion involved. Several potential opponents have emerged for Wilder, including the likes of Andy Ruiz Jr. and Joseph Parker, who are also trying to force their way back into the title frame.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has declared that Wilder is in contention for a heavyweight tournament with the winner named challenger for the title. "Certainly," Sulaiman told Sky Sports when asked if Wilder was in the picture. "I spoke to him a couple of months ago, he is doing great and he is looking forward to resuming his boxing career.
"We have one year to have the next mandatory fight. At this moment, we will wait the decision of Tyson Fury, and then we will either do a series of fights – a boxing tournament – going into a final elimination."
