Deontay Wilder looks set to make his comeback before the end of the year.
The former WBC world heavyweight champion has not boxed since suffering an 11th-round knockout defeat at the hands of Tyson Fury last year.
Wilder took on ‘The Gypsy King’ in a trilogy clash – after the pair fought to a split draw in the opener back in December 2018 and Fury stopped him inside seven rounds just over a year later in February 2020 – at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last October.
He was dropped three times, while also dropping Fury twice, before the referee Russell Mora, called a halt to proceedings after 70 seconds of the penultimate round.
And now ‘The Bronze Bomber’, who held the green and gold belt for a five-year period and made 10 successful defences, is preparing for his comeback.
Wilder is believed to be readying himself for a fight on pay-per-view on October 15, with Robert Helenius the man being lined up as the opponent.
The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, is scheduled to be announced as the venue and heavyweight contender Frank Sanchez is slated to compete on the undercard.
ESPN’s Mike Coppinger has tweeted that the deal is currently being finalised:
Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius are in the process of finalizing a deal for a PBC PPV fight on Oct. 15, sources tell ESPN. Will be the former heavyweight champ’s first fight since KO-11 loss to Tyson Fury in October in ESPN’s Fight of the Year. Story coming. @Idecboxing first
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) August 10, 2022
Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs), 36, has posted videos recently on Instagram of him training at his gym in his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
He had spoken about retirement following his second loss to Fury but now looks leaner and ready to return to the top of the sport despite the two crushing defeats at the hands of the Brit, who has recently stated that he will be coming out of his self-imposed sabbatical, with a fight against former foe Derek Chisora high on the hit list.
Helenius (31-3, 20 KOs) is 38 and has stopped one-time contender Adam Kownacki in back-to-back bouts, the last of which came as part of the supporting cast to Fury’s second win over Wilder last year.