Swingers

Wilder is not in the fight we want but Breazeale should at least make things interesting, writes Matt Christie

- Matt Christie

DEONTAY WILDER should be fighting Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua but he’s not because boxing is boxing (and egos are egos and money is money). All three of them value their own self-worth significantly higher than that of their closest rivals so any semblance of middle ground has been lost.

Something’s got to give but it hasn’t and for the time being it won’t. If the standoff continues for much longer, if they keep fighting other people while stalling on what really matters, an upset will occur and the chance to be involved in one of the most engrossing rivalries in heavyweight history will all but disappear.

The latest banana skin is Dominic Breazeale, the WBC’s mandatory contender (despite only being ranked No. 4 by the organisation) who challenges champion Wilder on Saturday night inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. A seventh-round loser to Joshua in 2016, the slugger from Eastvale, California has since scored three victories against fair opposition but, it should be noted, his recent achievements do not compare to Dillian Whyte’s (the No. 1 contender cruelly overlooked for this shot). However, and let’s now focus on the positives, Breazeale joining forces with top trainer, Virgil Hunter, does strengthen his position in the heavyweight ranks.