Forrmer USC football player Gerald Washington has emerged as the replacement opponent for World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder on Feb. 25 in Birmingham, Ala.
A Premier Boxing Champions official told The Times a deal was struck late Sunday with Washington (18-0-1, 12 knockouts) to substitute for Poland’s Andrzej Wawrzyk (33-1, 19 KOs), who tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance and was pulled from the Fox-televised main event.
Wilder (37-0, 36 KOs) previously had a 2016 bout against Russia’s Alexander Povetkin scrapped by Povetkin’s positive test for Meldonium. Wilder then suffered a biceps injury in a summer victory over Riverside’s Chris Arreola, and now returns to his hometown Legacy Arena for this bout.
“This is a good fight, and a better fight now with Washington than it was with Wawrzyk,” fight promoter Lou DiBella said. “Gerald Washington is an imposing, strong cat who’s fought in Alabama before, has a big mouth and is a well-spoken kid.”
A Navy veteran, the 6-foot-6 Washington, 34, was a Pete Carroll-Steve Sarkisian recruit and 2007-08 tight end/defensive end at USC, later landing practice-squad spots with the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks before turning to boxing in 2012 and winning an April bout against former heavyweight title challenger Eddie Chambers at StubHub Center.
