WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has announced that the sanctioning body would approve Deontay Wilder for a shot at the bridgerweight title.

The bridgerweight class, which has a limit of 224lbs and is situated between cruiserweight and heavyweight, was established in 2020 and is recognized by both the WBC and WBA.

Currently, Evgeny Tishchenko holds the WBA title, while Lawrence Okolie secured the WBC version of the title by knocking out Lukasz Rozanski in May.

Okolie has been mandated to defend his title against Kevin Lerena next, but Sulaiman mentioned that the winner of this bout could face Wilder if he submits a request to the WBC.

“I am sure that if Wilder wishes to fight the Bridgerweight champion, the WBC would approve, but we have not received any communication from Deontay’s camp,” Sulaiman wrote on X in response to a fan’s query about the potential matchup.

Wilder, who held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020, has the opportunity to become a two-weight world champion by claiming the bridgerweight title.

Many fans are hoping to see ‘The Bronze Bomber’ retire after his disappointing performances against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang in his recent fights. However, Wilder has not officially retired yet.

Before his knockout loss to Zhang in the fifth round earlier this month, former super-middleweight world champion George Groves suggested that Wilder should move down to bridgerweight to pursue a title.

“I think, now, this is his time to capitalize on being a world champion,” Groves told Sky Sports. “There are a lot of heavyweights out there with big names who might not win the heavyweight world championship soon, but they could become world champions at bridgerweight. Maybe Wilder, being a big name and a former heavyweight world champion, sees an opportunity to become a two-weight world champion by fighting at bridgerweight.”

Deontay Wilder’s emotional reaction to his knockout loss to Zhilei Zhang was captured on camera in new unseen ringside footage.

A fight with Okolie would be straightforward to arrange, as the British boxer recently expressed interest in fighting Wilder after his victory over Rozanski.

“When there is a belt on the line, it is always better,” Okolie told iFL TV. “Obviously, he (Wilder) was the WBC heavyweight champion, so he will probably want to fight for a WBC belt.”