Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay ‘Bronze Bomber’ Wilder revealed on Instagram today that he plans on returning to the ring soon to resume his career.
Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) isn’t saying who he plans on fighting, but he’s got a lot of options, starting with Andy Ruiz Jr if he wants to face him in a WBC title eliminator. Ruiz is a decent fight for Deontay, but it’s possible that he’ll pass up on that match.
Promoter Eddie Hearn is eager to put that fight together potentially. The WBC ordered the Wilder vs. Ruiz contest as a final title eliminator to challenge champion Tyson Fury.
In Wilder’s case, he hardly needs to fight in a title eliminator to get a crack at a belt. His popularity is such to where he doesn’t need to fight in a title eliminator to get a challenge for a belt. Wilder’s net worth is $30 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, so he’s not hurting for money.
On Instagram, Wilder said this today: “I have been enjoying family, life, and all that it brings, but now it’s time to return to the ring.”
Deontay recently mentioned potentially fighting former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. That’s a fight that would make him a lot of money, and increase his star power, particularly if he were to stop Ngannou.
Deontay Wilder is ready to get back in the ring 👊💥 pic.twitter.com/aNGl1alhgo
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) March 20, 2023
The 6’7″ Wilder has competition for the Ngannou fight, as Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are also interested in fighting him. If Ngannou can get Fury or Joshua next, he’ll likely go in that direction rather than facing Wilder.
Wilder destroyed Robert Helenius by a first round knockout last December in a beautiful one-punch stoppage that showed that he’s just as dangerous as he’d always been.
The victory for the Alabama native Wilder over Helenius was his first in three years since stopping Luis Ortiz in the seventh round in 2019.
In Wilder’s last two fights before the Helenius clash, he’d been knocked out by Tyson Fury. After those losses, many boxing fans felt that Wilder was washed up and would never be the same again.
What was really worrisome was how Wilder gassed out after four rounds in his trilogy fight with Fury in 2021. Deontay had faded like that before so early in a fight.
When Wilder came back against Helenis, he was a lot leaner, having trimmed down from 238 from the last Fury fight to a thin 214 lbs.
The leaner Wilder proved to be just as dangerous as he’d been in the past, as he quickly clipped Helenius and took in the first round.
Dillian Whyte has expressed interest in fighting Wilder as well, but he’s expected to face Joshua in a stadium fight in the summer. The only Wilder faces Dillian is after he fights Joshua, and even that, it might be worth it if he’s coming off a knockout loss.