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WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is hoping that his former foe, Deontay Wilder, is given the ability to fight for the vacant WBC strap.
On Saturday night, before a record crowd of 94,000 at Wembley Stadium, Fury knocked out mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte in the sixth round.
After the fight, Fury maintained his position of likely exploring the scenario of retiring from the sport.
Should Fury decide to retire and vacate the WBC title, he wants Wilder to fight for the belt.
Fury fought Wilder three times.
He overcame two knockdowns in their 2018 encounter, to fight Wilder to a controversial twelve round split draw. In the 2020 rematch, Fury dropped Wilder twice and stopped him in the seventh round of a one-sided fight. Their October 2021 encounter was an all-out war, with Fury getting dropped twice and decking Wilder three times for a knockout win in the eleventh.
Fury has long claimed his belief that Wilder is the second-best fighter in the weight class.
Wilder is currently ranked at number 1 by the WBC, with Joe Joyce sitting in the number 2 position. Joyce is currently the WBO’s mandatory challenger and is close to a deal to face Joseph Parker in the summer. Wilder has yet to reveal his future plans.
“I’d like to see Deontay Wilder fight whoever for it again. I don’t know how that’s even possible [that Wilder is ranked at number 1 by the WBC]. He’s lost three fights in a row and still number 1-rated. But that’s up to them,” Fury told Behind The Gloves.
“One thing, [though], Deontay made ten title defenses, more than anybody else. He equaled Muhammad Ali’s record [of defenses], beat Vitali Klitschko’s record [of defenses], [he] doesn’t get the credit he deserves. And I do believe he’s still the second-best heavyweight in the world, Deontay Wilder. I believe he knocks everybody else out but me.”