Is showdown with another former heavyweight champion next for Deontay Wilder?

Former world heavyweight boxing champion and Tuscaloosa native Deontay Wilder might already know his next opponent.

There has not been an announcement, but fellow former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. posted on his Twitter account Wednesday indicating a fight between him and Wilder could happen soon. The post included an image like a poster illustration of the two with the words, "It's coming."

Multiple recent reports cite World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman declaring that the fight would be ordered at the upcoming WBC convention, scheduled for Nov. 6-11 in Mexico. That doesn't mean the fight will definitely happen, but if it does it would be a title eliminator ,with the winner earning a shot at the WBC belt that Wilder once held. Wilder lost that championship to Tyson Fury, who still holds it. Either Wilder or Ruiz could choose another path rather than fighting each other.

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Wilder (43-2-1, 42 knockouts) is coming off a first-round knockout of Robert Helenius on Oct. 15 in Brooklyn. Wilder held the WBC heavyweight championship from 2015 to 2020, making 10 successful defenses before falling to Fury in the second of their three fights. Wilder is the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist.

Ruiz Jr. (35-2, 22 KOs) is coming off a win over Luis Ortiz by unanimous decision in September. Ruiz held the World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization heavyweight championships after beating Anthony Joshua in 2019. He lost the belts back to Joshua in a rematch.

Fury is scheduled to fight Derek Chisora on Dec. 3 in London with the WBC heavyweight championship on the line.

Wilder, 37, previously had said he would fight until he turned 40, but left how many fights he plans in that span unknown.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Deontay Wilder's next fight: Will it be against former heavyweight champ?