Team Deontay Wilder talks Anthony Joshua and Luis Ortiz

Jay Deas, trainer and co-manager of WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, talks exclusively to FanSided about Wilder’s upcoming fight against Luis Ortiz and negotiations with Anthony Joshua’s team.

Deontay Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs) defends his heavyweight title against Luis Ortiz on Saturday, March 3. Ortiz has an impressive record of 28-0 with 24 knockouts. He’s a hard-hitting southpaw with over 300 amateur fights to his credit.

On paper, Ortiz appears to be Wilder’s toughest test to date and poses a legitimate threat to his undefeated record. A victory against Ortiz would mean that Wilder’s credibility as a champion is unquestioned. It also keeps Wilder’s dream of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world alive.

A loss for Wilder would devastatingly end his championship quest and would cause irreparable harm to his legacy. Wilder and his team believe that Ortiz is the single obstacle standing between them and a shot at a megafight against IBF and WBA heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua.

Boxing fans are clamoring for a unification bout between Wilder and Joshua. If this fight gets made, it would be the most meaningful heavyweight fight in decades. The two sides reportedly met numerous times last year to discuss a possible matchup in the near future. Sky Sports reported a meeting between representatives for Wilder and Joshua in August. Wilder told TMZ in November that both sides were negotiating.

Public perception is that nothing meaningful came from these talks, but that’s not necessarily the case.

Wilder’s trainer and co-manager Jay Deas told FanSided that their talks were encouraging.

“I think it was productive,” Deas said. “I think that everybody is in the same ballpark. It’s not like we’re a million miles apart — that was the value of the meetings.”

Deas words suggest that money wasn’t the main culprit in preventing this fight. The responsibility for this fight not occurring lies with Team Joshua, according to Deas.

“We wanted it now and they opted to go in a different direction,” he said. “They even came out on the internet and said ‘we want the fight, but first … ‘ which is another way of saying they don’t want to fight right now.”

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The plan seems simple — Wilder and Joshua defeat their opponents and meet in the fall to decide who rules the heavyweight division. However, Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, has seemingly pumped the brakes on that idea.

Hearn recently cast doubt on Wilder and Joshua fighting in fall when talking to Boxing News.

“I’m almost certain Joshua-Wilder will happen this year,” Hearn said. “It’s just whether it’s in the summer or November, December. We may box in the summer, depending on how the Parker fight goes. Whether that’s Wilder or not, we’ll see.”

Hearn has been flippant when discussing the possibilities of a Wilder/Joshua clash. Deas offered up a rationale for Hearn’s coyness:

"I don’t think that Eddie Hearn truly understands the passion of the world’s boxing fans for this fight to happen as soon as humanly possible should Deontay and Anthony prevail in March. I don’t know if the public will tolerate anymore waiting. I think they will make their voices known loud and clear. I would not want to be the guy saying “not yet.” Now the world knows it’s not us, it’s not Deontay Wilder. He wants the fight. He’s always wanted the fight. We pushed the fight. They’re the ones that have on record said “not now, not yet, maybe later.” I’m glad that people finally realize that."

Before a Wilder/Joshua showdown is inked, both boxers have to do their part and win their upcoming contests. Joshua fights WBO titlist Joseph Parker on March 31. Joshua is the favorite, but Deas thinks Parker stands a chance against Joshua.

“I think it’s a good fight.” Deas said. “It comes down to whether Joesph can handle the moment. People don’t think about that part of boxing. Can you handle being in front of that many people? Can you handle that in the past you’ve had 20 interview requests before the fight, now you’ve got 2,000? Can you handle that every person over there wants a piece of you? There’s a lot of things that go into this more than just the fight.”

For Wilder, it would be easy to look past Ortiz. He’s taking part in the reality TV show WAGS Atlanta and could possibly try his hand at acting in movies. This could be a distraction, but Deas is confident that Wilder knows how to keep his personal life from infringing on his boxing career.

“He knows how to balance it [work and entertainment],” Deas said. “Deontay would not let that be a distraction. I don’t have to worry about him as far as focus and being in the gym when he needs to be in the gym.”

Ortiz’s southpaw stance presents a different look for Wilder. He has only fought two noteworthy southpaws: Audley Harrison in 2013 and Artur Szpilka in 2016. Wilder dispatched Harrison easily in one round, but Szpilka won several rounds and was hard to hit. Wilder finally figured out Szpilka’s timing in the ninth and knocked him out cold with a counter-right.

Ortiz is a superior talent in comparison to Szpilka. His amateur experience and boxing skills combined with his unorthodox stance are a reason for concern. Deas believes that southpaws provide unique issues in the ring, but thinks Wilder is game for the challenge.

“It’s tough to fight a southpaw, especially a skilled one because things come at a different angle and it’s not something you see very often.” Deas said. “You have to prepare yourself for it. I think Deontay’s done a great job of that so far in camp.”

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Wilder vs. Ortiz is a compelling matchup. Wilder believes in his abilities. To him, destiny is on his side. We’ll see if the best-laid plans come to fruition for a Deontay Wilder/Anthony Joshua battle for all the belts in 2018.