Shelly Finkel, co-manager for former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, believes an impressive showing could get his fighter back in position for a showdown with Anthony Joshua.
Last month, Wilder and Joshua were featured on the same card in Saudi Arabia – and if both of them had been victorious in their respective fights then a showdown would have taken place in March.
But, Wilder was shockingly upset by heavy underdog Joseph Parker, who fought his way to a dominant twelve round unanimous decision.
Joshua will now collide with MMA veteran Francis Ngannou on March 8 in Riyadh.
There has been talk of Wilder appearing on the undercard – and Finkel would be very interested in securing his boxer a slot on that card.
“We would love that. If there was an opportunity, we’d be glad to consider it. We’d love to go back there and love to be on that card if it’s possible. If that opportunity presents itself, he’ll be ready,” Finkel said to The Sun.
“You can’t tell in advance, but I’d assume that Joshua would beat Ngannou, then hopefully we see the Deontay of old and he wins. Then of course, if those two were to happen it would still be natural for Deontay and Joshua to meet.
“Go back two fights, people were saying Daniel Dubois was a quitter. He sure didn’t quit against Jarrell Miller and redeemed himself. Three fights ago, people said things about Joshua, he looked very good in his fight with Wallin and that redeemed himself in the same way. So in a similar situation, Deontay has a good opponent in the next fight and he looks the way we know him to look, hopefully we have him right back there with Joshua.”
There has been some talk of Wilder facing Chinese giant Zhilei Zhang in the co-featured slot to Joshua-Ngannou.
Finkel is not ruling out the possibility of facing Zhang, but he’d also love to get his boxer a rematch with Parker.
“Look, we would love Parker but that hasn’t been discussed. But in either case, if Zhang was presented, that would be a big fight,” Finkel said.
“If that was on the same card as the fight with Joshua and Ngannou, I think Deontay and Zhang would rival that. It would be a phenomenal show for the public again. I think the job that they did putting on all the heavyweights together on that card was wonderful.”
