Deontay Wilder is preparing for his return to the ring after suffering back-to-back defeats.
The former long-reigning WBC heavyweight champion was faced with making an important decision on his future in the sport, after he was defeated by Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang in his last two outings.
The 39-year-old was outpointed by Parker in a career best performance from the New Zealand-born former world heavyweight champion, with many initially predicting another highlight reel knockout for Wilder, who has won 42 of his 43 contests inside the distance.
Wilder returned to the ring last June to challenge the hard-hitting Zhang, with the heavyweight battle featuring on the Matchroom v Queensberry 5v5 card in Riyadh. It was another disappointed night for ‘The Bronze Bomber’, as ‘Big Bang’ claimed a devastating fifth round knockout to hand the American his fourth career loss.
It has been revealed that the 39-year-old from Tuscaloosa, Alabama is set to return to the ring against fellow American heavyweight Curtis Harper, who has lost 11 of his 29 professional fights.
Speaking to the Ring Magazine, Harper confirmed he has been issued with and signed a contract for a showdown with Wilder, as well as revealing the prospective fight date.
“Yes. It’s supposed to be in April.”
The 36-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida has suffered defeats to a number of highly rated heavyweights, including Richard Torrez Jr, Guidi Vianello and Zhang. Harper has won his last four bouts, as he now turns his attention to arguably his biggest test to date against Wilder.
