Deontay Wilder Could Bank $10M To Step Aside For Fury vs. Joshua

The long awaited matchup between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua looks finally set to happen, with both fighters having reportedly signed a two fight contract. This came as a welcome surprise to many fans of the sport, who believed that Fury would be obligated to complete his trilogy with Deontay Wilder first.

However, ESPN sports host Max Kellerman, has stated that he believes the matchup has only come about due to Wilder receiving a considerable compensation fee. Speaking on ESPN’s Youtube channel with Stephan A. Smith, Kellerman had the following to say about how Wilder was bypassed in order to create Fury vs Joshua:

“Don’t look too much into the contracts because Deontay Wilder has got to be paid to step aside. When you get step aside money when you’re next with a contract, it ain’t a hundred grand.”

“It is five to ten million dollars. So Deontay is getting money for just waiting” (H/T GiveMeSport).

Wilder is currently coming off a loss to Fury in February 2020 and is no doubt chomping at the bit to get back in the ring. Until the announcement of Joshua vs Fury, Wilder was likely preparing for the rubber match with the ‘Gyspy King’.

However, he must now turn his attention to alternative opposition. Andy Ruiz Jr. has been touted as a potential opponent for ‘The Bronze Bomber.’ Although Ruiz currently looks set to fight in April, against Chris Arreola. This means that Wilder would likely have to wait until the end of 2021 to face him.

Alternatively, Dillian Whyte is a matchup that Wilder could go after, should he want an earlier fight. WBC President, Mauricio Sulaiman has expressed a personal interest in that fight, and Whyte is one of the bigger names in heavyweight boxing right now. Sulaiman had the following to say:

“Unfortunately we are not boxing promoters, we are not match-makers, but this could potentially be a very interesting fight” (H/T GiveMeSport).