Deontay Wilder-Gerald Washington set for Feb. 25

Gerald Washington (18-0-1, 12 KOs) has now been officially scheduled to be the late replacement for Deontay Wilder’s February 25th world title defense on PBC on FOX. Wilder had originally been slated to take on Andrzej Wawrzyk, but he flunked one of those pesky drug tests.

Looking forward to this big opportunity, Washington says:

"I'm very happy to get this opportunity to fight for my first world championship,'' Washington said. "I know that I'll be fighting Deontay Wilder in his backyard, but that adds more excitement to the fight for me. I'm looking forward to going to Birmingham and coming away with a victory just like I did in my last fight there.''

The 34-year-old Washington is a Navy veteran who doesn’t have a ton of experience, but is coming off a knockout win over Ray Austin last summer. That said, this will obviously be the toughest ask of Washington in his career thus far.

Wilder (37-0, 36 KOs), on the other hand, is just happy he’ll be able to keep this scheduled card going for his home fans. This will mark his first appearance since suffering a torn biceps and a broken hand against Chris Arreola last July.

"I was disappointed when Wawrzyk tested positive for a banned substance and wasn't available to fight. I didn't want to disappoint my loyal fans in Birmingham, who have always supported me,'' Wilder said. "I'm glad Gerald Washington stepped up to the challenge and allowed us to go forward with the show. He's a tall heavyweight (6-foot-6) with a good jab and the kind of test that I need coming back from surgery on my biceps muscle and my right hand. I'm looking forward to putting on a good show for all my fans.''

Should Wilder emerge victorious, as will be expected, the fight fans really want to see is a unification against fellow heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua.