Bryant Jennings is about to step up to the big leagues.
Literally!
The Philadelphia born Jennings is the madatory challenger for the winner of the fight between titleholder Bermane Stiverne (24-1, 21 KOs) and undefeated current mandatory challenger Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs) according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com.
Rafael is reporting that Jennings could possibly bypass that challenge for the opportunity to take down Wladimir Klitschko in the spring.
Klitschko, who looked spectacular in his devastating four-knockdown, fifth-round knockout of unbeaten Kubrat Pulev in his 17th title defense last Saturday in Germany (where he usually fights), is making plans to have the second fight of his new three-fight HBO contract in the United States, where he has not fought since shutting out Sultan Ibragimov to unify two belts at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2008.
Klitschko has told me multiple times that he would like to fight again in the United States and, from what I am told, his finance, American television star Hayden Panettiere, who is due any day with their first child (a girl), also wants him to fight in America.
So if Klitschko is going to come back and fight in the United States he needs a legitimate and marketable opponent. Jennings, 30, is that guy. He’s undefeated, he has won his past two fights in HBO, he looks the part, he talks a good game and, most importantly, he’s a legitimate top 10 contender.
“Bryant is a very gifted athlete who is hungry to show the world that he’s an elite fighter,” Shaw said. “He has got the athletic ability to have a long career in this sport. The heavyweight division needs a guy like Bryant to be the ambassador for American fighters. He has all the tools to become that guy.”
A win over Klitschko would make Jennings the king of the Heavyweight division, and would be more impressive than beating Wilder or Stiverne.
Shaw and Bernd Boente, Klitschko’s manager, have already begun negotiating the deal.
“I have been contacted by the Klitschko people and they have spoken to me about a possible deal for a fight in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2015,” Shaw said.
The Klitschko camp is also having conversations with executives from the two leading (and competing) New York arenas: Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center, which has wanted Klitschko to fight in the building. Klitschko wants his next American fight to be in New York.
HBO is on board for Klitschko-Jennings and I am told it’s willing to pay around $3 million to put it on.
Boente told me, “I also hope that we can make a fight in New York work. It comes down to either MSG or Barclays if we do a fight in the U.S. Jennings would be the preferred opponent for HBO.”
