Deontay Wilder arrested on gun charge in LA amid Anthony Joshua fight talks
Former world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder was arrested in the early hours of this morning in Los Angeles on a charge of possession of a concealed weapon.
The hard-hitting heavyweight was stopped at around 1.15am by police during a routine traffic stop, with officers believing that his car windows were illegally tinted and that his licence plate was obstructed, according to TMZ. Mirror Fighting can confirm that the arrest was in relation to a firearm, and that Wilder, 37, was subsequently released after posting a $35,000 bond at 6.34am.
Wilder was booked at 3.13am, meaning he spent just over three hours in the facility. He has since had a court date of May 23 set in Los Angeles, where he could face a felony charge and be fined up to $10,000. The boxer is currently in talks for a December super-fight with Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia.
At the time of publication, the Media Relations Division of the Los Angeles Police Department did not have a comment on the arrest. Wilder took to Twitter to make a cryptic and brief statement, telling his 776,700+ followers: "I’d rather be safe than sorry. The End."
Wilder has been training in California for his inevitable ring return, with talks currently underway for a bout between he and fellow former champion Joshua. The pair are in discussions to meet in Saudi Arabia, where the Brit has fought twice and his American rival visited as a spectator back in February for Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury.
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Deontay Wilder is working towards a ring return against Anthony Joshua (Getty Images)It is believed that Saudi Arabian officials are looking to get the two ex-title holders to face off in the semi-final of a tournament in which Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk would fight for the undisputed gold. Fury dethroned Wilder as WBC champion in 2020 before a 2021 trilogy bout defence, while Usyk defeated Joshua twice for the WBA, IBF and WBO belts in 2021 and 2022.
Both Wilder and Joshua have made returns to action since losing their belts over the past few years. First of all, back in October, the American viciously knocked out Robert Helenius within a round before his British counterpart came back to the UK to face Jermaine Franklin, winning by unanimous decision in a relatively lack-lustre bout.
It remains to be seen if Wilder's arrest will have any impact at all on talks for his next fight.
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