It is five long years since Deontay Wilder ruled boxing’s heavyweight divison, but now at the age of 39 ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is ready for one more run at boxing glory.
Wilder has not fought since the summer of 2024, when he was stopped by Chinese giant Zhilei Zhang on that much-hyped Eddie Hearn vs Frank Warren 5 on 5 card in Saudi Arabia.
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That was Deontay’s fourth defeat in five fights – that slide starting after he had begun his career 42-0-1 with an astonishing 41 knockout victories. Punishing defeats by Tyson Fury in Las Vegas in 2020 and 2021 had started the slide, and Joseph Parker and then Zhang took the American down in 2023 and 2024.
Wilder will fight on
Many felt Wilder would retire after his latest loss, with his ability to pull the trigger on that devastating right hand seemingly in question. But they were wrong, and he will return on June 27 in unlikely surroundings against an unlikely opponent.
Deontay will face the 24-5 Tyrrell Herndon on a show in Wichita, Kansas – a far cry from the bright lights of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas or Staples Center in Los Angeles.
It’s clearly a tune-up fight for the former WBC world heavyweight champion rather than an immediate return to the elite, and Wilder himself says he finally feels healthy again after a long battle with shoulder injuries.
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Deontay says he can finally throw that lethal right hand again without pain – which likely means bad news for Herndon. Wilder says he has two bouts scheduled for the remainder of 2025 – with the second at a location even more unusual than Wichita…
He told the Ariel Helwani Show (watch the full interview at the bottom of this page): “We’ve got two scheduled right now, for sure. We’re looking to do another in December. I think this year is going to be filled with just making sure I’m back tuned up. I’m tuning myself up, making sure I’m where I say I am.”
Then when probed about that second bout in December, he added: “We’re going to be out of the country. Somewhere in Korea, South Korea.”
So it’s clear the rest of 2025 is all about Wilder ensuring he is right back to full health and confident in his abilities before really getting back to elite level in 2026. He will be 40 years of age by then, and aiming to that right hand can knock out Father Time, as well as his opponents.
