Deontay "The Bronze Bomber" Wilder defended his WBC title for the first time on June 13 in a more difficult than expected fight vs. little-known Eric "Drummer Boy" Molina. There are calls for Wilder to face Alexander Povetkin next, but it's more likely Wilder will face another less-threatening opponent in September.
Wilder's agent has already laid down the groundwork for Wilder's next fight to be against someone other than Povetkin, citing the difficulty that lies ahead in negotiating the bout.
"You have to realize that you can work on those things, but those things take six months to a year. Those things take a while to make. We're not sitting around and waiting until next June to fight just because it's Povetkin. If we can get September, we'll get September, and we're bringing it back to a level where these guys are on TV and they're fighting often," Jay Deas said.
Now, Wilder is insinuating he has questions about how naturally Povetkin has been able to rebound from a loss to Wladimir Klitschko in 2013. Drug testing is going to be a major issue during talks for Wilder and Povetkin when they inevitably get underway; Wilder must fight Povetkin eventually because he is the WBC mandatory challenger.
"When you are dealing with these other countries some drugs are legal in these other countries and sometimes they know how to take things out of a fighter's system to pass a drug test," Wilder said. "The drug testing will be a very big deal for me. I am a clean fighter. I do everything by the books. I expect my opponent to do the same. It's a shame that we still have people in the sport who try to cheat their way to the top."
Regardless the WBC is expected to direct Wilder's handlers to begin negotiations for Wilder vs. Povetkin, and the fight may go to a purse bid. Per Boxing Scene, Wilder adviser Al Haymon would actually be in danger of losing a purse bid to Andre Ryabinski, Povetkin's wealthy promoter.
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