By Jake Donovan

BIRMINGHAM--When Gerald Washington was first asked to fight on this weekend’s show, the tentative offer was for a much bigger opportunity than what the one he was formally presented.

The unbeaten heavyweight from California was in the mix to challenge for Deontay Wilder’s World Boxing Council (WBC) title, a makeable fight considering he’s in the sanctioning body’s Top 15 and both boxers fight with adviser Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) platform.

Instead, it was veteran contender Chris Arreola who received the call to face Wilder in Saturday’s PBC on FOX headliner in Birmingham, Alabama. Washington still landed on the show, as he faces Ray Austin in a preliminary bout with the promise of better things to come in the future as long as he keeps winning.

“They mentioned it to us that we were an option to face Deontay,” Washington (17-0-1, 11KOs) told BoxingScene.com of initial background talks that took place. “Of course I said yes, it's the heavyweight championship; you don't turn that down.

“For this situation they went with Chris Arreola. We understand it's a business, so we’ll just keep doing what we’ve been doing, knowing one day that the opportunity will come our way.”

In Austin (29-7-4, 18KOs), he’s presented with a middle-aged boxer who should – at the very least – allow Washington to get some more experience under his belt, although not necessarily prepare for anything specific. Austin has fought just twice since 2011 – returning in 2014 for a one-off appearance before being brought in as cannon fodder for Andy Ruiz this past May.

Little is expected of the Cleveland-bred heavyweight, but there still exists hope for the 34-year old Washington. That said, the past couple of outings have not resulted in time-capsule moments – struggling to a draw versus the scrappy Amir Mansour and settling for an eight-round shutout versus a seemingly disinterested Eddie Chambers live on free-to-air Fox this past April.

Still, each in-ring appearance is a learning experience considering his starting point.

“I had 14 amateur fights. I don't have that experience these guys, so I'm learning on the job,” admits Washington. “I need this activity. The more fights I get, the better.”

With that comes the silver lining to be found in this weekend’s matchup. Washington returns after just 2 ½ months, following just a two-fight campaign in 2015 that resulted in breaks of seven- and six months between each of his last two starts.

You can’t change what you had for dinner the night before, but you can certainly prepare for a better meal in the future.

“Me being where I came from, every fight is a learning experience for me,” notes Washington. “My last couple of fights prepared me for where I need to be today and what I need to do better tomorrow. So, knowing what’s at stake for my future and given the magnitude of this event, of course you will get to see the best Gerald Washington yet.

“Every day I go in the gym, it’s to learn something new, improve what I already know – or don’t know – and come out better than when the day began. That’s how you get ready for the best. I didn’t get this opportunity, but knowing that all the heavyweight champs got a style that works for me, I know my day is coming soon and I just need to be ready for it.”

Twitter: @JakeNDaBox_v2