Boxing and the heavyweight division received a boost this week when Deontay Wilder announced he planned to fight again.
Earlier this week, in his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama ‘The Bronze Bomber’ attended a public event where a statue of Wilder was unveiled in honour of his career and achievements.
The former WBC heavyweight champion was clearly proud of the moment and later told gatherers and media that his career was not at an end.
“I can’t stop right now. I must continue with my journey,” said the 36-year-old.
“I can’t end it like this. This journey’s not over with. I must continue my journey.”
Since 2018 Wilder’s career has been memorably entwined with Tyson Fury. The two men fought one another three times but the American never did enough to beat the Brit. With the current WBC champion, “retired” and the Usyk-Joshua 2 rematch still not sealed the return of the division’s
biggest puncher is welcome news.
Three of our writers – Luke G. Williams, Craig Scott and John A. MacDonald – gave their take on who they would like to see Wilder take on.
Luke Williams
“I would love to see Wilder versus Dillian Whyte. Both men are coming off losses to Tyson Fury. If Whyte actually performed his media duties, then there would be plenty of entertaining rhetoric and trash talk between the duo too. It would also be a fun and exciting fight, which I would expect Wilder to win by KO. If Wilder is serious about coming back, then it would be good to see him spark another couple of names after Whyte and before the year is out. Getting seriously active again would benefit him enormously.”
Craig Scott
“I think Wilder versus anybody is exciting – he’s unique that way. In a tough fight, he’s vulnerable and always dangerous, but in a fight where he’s the heavy favourite, you expect a vicious, highlight-reel knockout. Something is going to happen. I’d like to see him fight Andy Ruiz, or maybe a Jermain Franklin. Let’s get people excited about a returning Wilder again.”
John MacDonald
“Robert Helenius makes a lot of sense as a comeback opponent for Wilder. The ‘Nordic Nightmare’ appeared to be on the Mariusz Wach journeyman trajectory but rejuvenated his career with back-to- back wins over Adam Kownacki. If Wilder has aspirations of becoming a world champion again, he
has to be able to beat people like Helenius. Two massive, slightly uncoordinated behemoths swinging away at each other is always a good thing. The fact that it will likely result in a knockout that will go viral, regardless of the winner, is a lovely bonus.”
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