Deontay Wilder Returns...For What?
Can Wilder write a better ending at age 39?
Knockout artists are always a ten-count away from turning heads.
Former WBC heavyweight titlist Deontay Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KO) knows that from experience. After two bad beatings from Tyson Fury, a highlight reel knockout of Robert Helenius had him right back in with Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.
Neither of those fights went well for him.
Parker turned in a career best performance, boxing beautifully and winning a wide decision. Zhang went through him in five rounds.
After a year away from the ring, the “Bronze Bomber” returns on Friday (PPV.com, 9 PM EST). He’s matched with the sort of opponent he probably could have used a little more of after the Fury fights in Tyrell Herndon (24-5, 15 KO). Herndon has been stopped four times and is the sort of solid but safe option to start to rebuild Wilder’s confidence.
At age 39, despite his losses, Wilder remains the biggest name in the heavyweight division in the US. Part of that is a sign of how moribund the division is in the country that used to own the division. Part of it is a sign of the impression he left.
Wilder, at his best, was never a technical master. Going back to the first Tyson Fury fight in 2018, the number of rounds Wilder won without scoring a knockdown or knockout can probably be counted on one hand.
Those knockdowns and knockouts were worth the price of admission.
There will be those who wonder why Wilder is back again after the losses he’s suffered. The history of boxing should answer that question well enough. Most fighters, especially those who flew near the top of the game, have to find out for sure.
In the case of Wilder, there are also big dollars still possible.
A Herndon win, if it delivers the sort of Wilder finish that made him famous, can be followed by one or two more and then, just like that, he’s a viable opponent again.
Two of the biggest money fights in boxing, even in 2025, would feature Anthony Joshua. One would be against Tyson Fury. The other would be Wilder. Those are both big ones that go away in this era.
As long as they’re both still active, Wilder facing Joshua still hasn’t entirely gotten away. The vulnerability both have shown as they age magnifies the anything can happen element. It would still reap massive financial rewards for both.
The other possibility, as unrealistic as it might seem now, is a shot at the winner of Oleksandr Usyk-Daniel Dubois II for the heavyweight crown. Despite a lengthy WBC reign, Wilder was never the true heavyweight king. A few Wilder wins, some viral highlights on social media, would open up the potential of tapping the US pay-per-view market. Wilder would be an underdog to either but the money might talk and the opportunity for the title would be the happiest ending possible.
Boxing doesn’t do many happy endings but Wilder is going to start swinging for one on Friday night. If he starts winning again, it won’t be long before he gets his chance.