Deontay Wilder has confirmed his return to the boxing ring as he plans to land fights with the division’s big-hitters once again.
Wilder lost to Zhilei Zhang by fifth-round knockout last June and hasn’t fought since, with many predicting he would walk away from the sport.
However, it has now been confirmed Wilder will face Tyrrell Herndon in a comeback fight on June 27th, emphasising his intentions to continue his 48-fight career.
Should he emerge victorious, as most would expect, Wilder will be free to target another run at the heavyweight division’s biggest names.
Deontay Wilder says Anthony Joshua fight is ‘close’
The ‘Bronze Bomber’ has long been linked with a bout against former champion Anthony Joshua, but a fight has failed to materialise between the pair up until this point.
However, with both currently out of the world title picture after tasting defeat in their previous bouts, Wilder’s recent comments suggest a meeting could finally be on the horizon.
When asked about a potential showdown with Joshua, Wilder told 78 Sports TV: “Not this year, for sure, but in the near future.
“Maybe sometime next year, maybe a year after that. Everything, all that, is close. We just all got to do what we gotta do.”
Joshua lost to Daniel Dubois back in September and has spoken of his desire for big fights in 2025, though he has expressed his preference to fight former champion Tyson Fury.
Wilder says something ‘was seriously wrong’ for Zhang and Parker fights
Six months prior to his meeting with Zhang, Wilder also lost to Joseph Parker by unanimous decision, meaning he’s now lost four of his last five fights.
Such a run would be enough to put most fighters off from fighting for good, but the former WBC champion insists he’s now put previous issues behind him ahead of his ring return in June.
He said: “I had to take a wellness check man, something was seriously wrong with me. At first I couldn’t acknowledge it, I couldn’t identify what was the problem.
| Record | Knockout Wins | Knockout Ratio | World Title Fights |
| 43-4-1 | 42 | 97.67% | 13 |
A breakdown of Wilder’s career so far.
“The battle was more stronger than I thought it would be and I really had to face reality and face some things that was in front of me. I’m glad I was able to acknowledge what was going on with me and then…take immediate actions.”
At 39 years old, time is almost certainly against Wilder if he is to return to the summit of heavyweight boxing once again.
Yet, he remains one of the most ferocious punchers the sport has ever seen, a factor which will always make him a threat regardless of the man placed in front of him.