Deontay Wilder appears to have made a u-turn on his decision to retire from boxing despite suffering back-to-back defeats.
The former long-reigning WBC world heavyweight champion has lost his last two professional outings, with many calling for the 39-year-old to walk away from the sport.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ fell short in a showdown against heavyweight rival Joseph Parker in December 2023 after the former WBO heavyweight champion put on the performance of a lifetime in Riyadh.
Wilder then went on to face the hard-hitting Zhilei Zhang last June, as he looked to bounce back from the third defeat of his career at the hands of Parker.
Speaking to Boxing Scene last year, the 39-year-old claimed his highly anticipated battle with Zhang was a ‘must win fight’.
“I would say that. It’s definitely a must-win fight, especially for me, and it sets up everything for the future.
“If I don’t get the win, we don’t know where we’ll go from here. Retirement could be a very big and serious conversation. This is a very important fight for me and in terms of my future.”
Although defeat to Zhang was the fourth loss in his last five outings, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ u-turned on his pre-fight statements and confirmed to TMZ that he will continue with his boxing career.
“For me, the best is yet to come. Yeah, we’re still going. We’re still here, we’ll just get things together.”
Sports journalist Manouk Akopyan has now reported that the 39-year-old will return to the ring in April on BLK Prime, with an opponent yet to be announced.
I'm told @BronzeBomber will return for a comeback fight in April on BLK Prime.
Wilder and manager Shelley Finkel will meet with the media in Los Angeles on Saturday to announce the opponent. pic.twitter.com/QFWP1SK18C
— Manouk Akopyan (@ManoukAkopyan) January 6, 2025
