Deontay Wilder is not retiring any time soon.
Wilder is set to fight for the first time since a damaging fifth round defeat to Zhilei Zhang last June when he faces compatriot Tyrrell Herndon in Kansas on June 27 at the Charles Koch Arena.
Some thought at 39-years-old and having suffered back-to-back losses, the once feared knockout artist would call time on a career which saw him make 10 defences of the WBC heavyweight world title.
However, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is returning to action and will be aiming to rediscover some of the form which saw him rack up 42 knockouts from 43 bouts.
Herndon appears to be a relatively straightforward assignment on paper, with the Texan already suffering stoppage defeats to Efe Ajagba and Richard Torrez Jr.
Wilder has won just one of his last five contests, a first round demolition of Robert Helenius in October 2022.
The Alabama man was halted twice by the now-retired Tyson Fury in a trilogy which will live long in the memory and was then outpointed by Joseph Parker, prior to his last setback against the aforementioned Zhang.
Victory for Wilder could spark interest again for a showdown with long-time rival Anthony Joshua.
The pair, who have been linked with a fight since both held world titles in 2018, were close to sealing a deal for a meeting last March until Wilder’s defeat to Parker put paid to those plans.
Joshua is currently sidelined with an injury and was called out by YouTuber-turned-boxer, Jake Paul last week.
The former two-time heavyweight champion’s promoter, Eddie Hearn admits they would entertain a bout with him.
“At the moment ‘AJ’s not a world champion,” Hearn told Pro Boxing Fans.
“He’s not chasing unified fights, undisputed fights.
“He’s looking for the biggest fight possible.
“Would that come against Jake Paul? I don’t know.
“Would we do it? Yeah I think he would do it to be honest.
“I don’t see the point [in] waiting until 2026.
“Jake doesn’t have a fight. We don’t have a fight.
“If you want to do it let’s just get it over with, but [it would be] pretty dangerous.”
