FORMER WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is chasing a second world title reign and will begin his quest in January.
“The Bronze Bomber” celebrates his 40th birthday next week but still harbours hopes of winning another world crown. His five-year reign as WBC champion came to an end in February 2020 when a ruthless Tyson Fury stopped him in their rematch. After Fury’s miraculous comeback in their first encounter, “The Gypsy King” put the American to the sword in seven rounds. Twenty months later, the rivals shared a modern-day classic trading five knockdowns between them before Fury prevailed with an 11th-round knockout.
Wilder’s form has dipped dramatically since then, with one-sided losses to fellow contenders Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. Between those defeats, the Alabama puncher destroyed Robert Helenius in one round and stopped the little-known Tyrrell Anthony Herndon in seven last time out.
The former champion has hinted at retirement in recent years but now seems determined to continue despite his best years appearing to be behind him. Speaking to streamer N3on (Rangesh Mutama), he said:
“I do have something coming up. We’re looking in January. I’ve signed the contract already. I can’t [give] no details at this point, but it’s definitely live.
“It’s gonna happen. I got a big year next year, I’m looking forward to it, all I can say is two-time. Let’s go.”
While no date or venue has been confirmed, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn is due to host a show on January 10, which is expected to feature Subriel Matias defending his WBC super-lightweight title against Dalton Smith. Wilder, 44-4-1 (43 KOs), has fought at the Barclays five time- could a sixth appearance see the veteran return in the headline slot?
