Deontay Wilder's Breakout Will Never Come Until He Takes on Tougher Opponents

Deontay Wilder and his team were forced to work fast to secure a new opponent when undeserving Polish heavyweight challenger Andrzej Wawrzyk tested positive for a banned substance and was pulled from the February 25 fight.

This is the second time in the last three fights that the undefeated WBC heavyweight champion has seen his opponent fail a drug test and be forced to withdraw from the fight late in the game.

Wilder was due to face his then-mandatory challenger and former heavyweight titlist Alexander Povetkin last May in what was expected to be his toughest challenge to date, but the Russian tested positive for Meldonium and the fight was scrapped.

He was subsequently cleared but again tested positive (this time for Ostarine) and lost out on a scheduled eliminator bout with former titlist Bermane Stiverne.

Gerald Washington (18-0-1, 12 KO) steps into the role of challenger, mostly because he has a good story, has a decent record and was already training for a spot on the undercard, but if Wilder wins, as he’s expected, the pressure is on for a big splash in his next fight.

Washington is a former U.S. Navy helicopter mechanic and played college football at the University of Southern California, but he’s being brought in here late in the process to replace an opponent who didn’t have any business challenging for a world title.

We need more from Wilder, who, despite a big punch and a bigger personality, has seemed stuck in neutral since capturing a share of the heavyweight crown and defending it against a slew of unworthy opponents.

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It’s unusual to have a situation where the late-replacement opponent is superior to the one originally scheduled, but that’s what we have here, something even promoter Lou DiBella—who handles Wilder’s career on a fight-by-fight basis—agrees with.

"This is a good fight, and a better fight now with Washington than it was with Wawrzyk," DiBella said, per Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times. "Gerald Washington is an imposing, strong cat who’s fought in Alabama before, has a big mouth and is a well-spoken kid.”

That type of candor is refreshing.

This is a better fight, though we don’t yet know how much that means.

We still don’t know how Wawrzyk—a fighter with no name recognition whose biggest win came over a 45-year-old Frans Botha in 2014—landed this fight in the first place.

Wilder is making his first start since suffering a torn right bicep and a broken right hand in an eighth-round knockout of Chris Arreola last July. 

Arreola was the step-in opponent (two months later) after the Povetkin bout fell apart.

For those of you keeping score at home, that makes Eric Molina, Johann Duhaupas, Artur Szpilka, Arreola and now Washington as the soon-to-be five-title defense on the Bronze Bomber’s ledger.

It’s a virtual who’s who of second-tier competition.

Washington is probably the best of the lot, but we don’t know how he’s going to perform taking a massive step up in competition against a man with the power to stop any heavyweight on the planet if he lands clean.

Wilder has been a victim of circumstance of late, but that doesn't mean it isn't long past time to move up.

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Nobody can blame him for what happened with Povetkin—he was going to fight him in Russia—and anyone who does is being unfair. The Russian also tested positive ahead of his next fight, and there’s no reason to ever overlook a failed test in a sport where lives could be on the line.

This isn’t a criticism.

It’s a call to action.

The heavyweight division was a dead zone for many years.

Wladimir Klitschko served as the undisputed kingpin of a realm where he was either too good or his foes too bad—likely a combination of both—to produce many memorable matchups that captivated the interest of fans.

Those matchups are there now.

Anthony Joshua—like Wilder an undefeated champion with transcendent potential—will defend his IBF Heavyweight Championship against Klitschko April 29 at a sold-out Wembley Stadium with the winner heading the divisional pack.

Joseph Parker is another unbeaten heavyweight with a belt, he takes on Hughie Fury April 1 in New Zealand, and Luis Ortiz, possibly the most avoided fighter in the division, lurks around the edges waiting for someone to give him an opportunity.

He's recently enrolled in VADA, so that should open up more chances for him—if fighters are willing to take the risk.

The fights are out there for Wilder.

Washington stands in his way, yes, but assuming Wilder gets by him—and we think he will—then it’s time to reach out and grab one of them if he wants to prove that he can be more than just a belt holder.