A bright, effervescent smile appeared on Deontay Wilder’s face on January 17, 2015. That night, the Alabama native fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a heavyweight champion, defeating Bermane Stiverne by unanimous decision.
As Wilder has sent countless bodies to the mat, resulting in 10 successful title defenses, his stature in the boxing world has only grown, as has his bank account. Ultimately, however, Tyson Fury cut short the heavy-hitting star’s WBC title run in 2020. After sealing his man’s fate in their immediate rematch, Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs) he would remain sequestered on the sidelines for almost a year.
But, having done a lot of thinking during his time away, the 36-year-old decided not to walk away from the sport entirely. Alternatively, Wilder will officially return on October 15, at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in the main event space. If Wilder gets the win, his path to becoming a two-time heavyweight champion will be clear.
In addition to exuding confidence before his return to the ring, Wilder, more than anything, smiles ominously as he describes what his future championship run will look like.
“The second reign will be fun for me,” Wilder said during a recent virtual press conference.
Currently, despite Wilder’s complete self-confidence, he will have to patiently wait his turn before attempting to win his second world title. Just a few weeks ago, Oleksandr Usyk defended his WBO, WBA, IBO and IBF world titles against a determined Anthony Joshua. Shortly after, WBC champion Tyson Fury instructed his team to do everything in their power to lure the Ukrainian star into the ring to crown boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis nearly two decades ago.
Furthermore, while Helenius vs. Wilder has been billed as a WBC title eliminator, with the victor moving on to a final eliminator with Andy Ruiz. Joe Joyce vs. Taking place on September 24, Joseph Parker will put the winner at the front of the queue at the WBO sanctioning body, as the interim WBO trinket and a mandatory title shot will be on the line.
