Deontay Wilder is eyeing up a clash with Anthony Joshua as he forges his comeback trail.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ has looked like a shadow of his former self since being knocked out by Tyson Fury in their trilogy bout in October 2021.
Wilder dropped a wide unanimous decision to Joseph Parker in December 2023 before suffering a brutal knockout loss at the hands of Zhilei Zhang last June.
Most expected the former WBC heavyweight champion to hang up his gloves after his most recent setback, given that he has now lost four out of his last five fights.
However, Wilder is due to return to the ring on June 27 at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita against 29-fight veteran Tyrrell Herndon (24-5).
The 37-year-old Texan was stopped inside two rounds by Richard Torrez Jr and Efe Ajagba – and has been lined up as a warm-up opponent for Wilder ahead of an active 2025.
“I like the opponent selection,” Wilder told 78SPORTSTV. “The main goal is to get back out there and get things back together to see where I am.
“With all the things that have happened to me over the past few years, I think it’s a great selection.
“We have got a lot of fights lined up for this year.
“We are looking to have maybe three this year. The next one is going to be a big one outside of the country.
“And then we are looking to do one more at the end of the year.”
One fight that has recently been floated around again is the long-awaited showdown between Wilder and Joshua.
AFPWilder believes a fight with Joshua will happen soon[/caption]
Eddie Hearn insists they are still open to making the fight, which should have happened long ago.
Meanwhile, Wilder believes it would likely fit into his plans next year.
“Not this year for sure, but in the near future,” Wilder added. “Maybe sometime next year.
“But all of that is close. I’ve just got to get myself back together first and foremost, and I have got to prove to myself that I am back together like I feel.”
Wilder insists his ultimate goal is to become an undisputed heavyweight champion, and he is backing himself to get back to his best after recovering from a string of injuries.
Instagram – Tyrrell HerndonWilder is set to face Herndon in June[/caption]
“We are still on a mission [to become undisputed],” he continued.
“I was supposed to have achieved all these things a long time ago if I had the opportunities that others did…
“I’ve been on a journey with healing my shoulders. Anybody who knows about shoulder injuries will know that it is one of the longest processes that there is when it comes to an operation on the body.
“And I’ve had a shoulder injury twice… I’ve been dealing with pain for the last five years for 24 hours a day.
“But at this moment in time, I am pain-free.”
In an interview last year, Wilder claimed he had fought Parker and Zhang with a broken arm and two tears in his shoulder.
