Ex-heavyweight champion and Tyson Fury rival Deontay Wilder announces comeback fight after brutal knockout loss

Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has announced he will be returning to the ring this summer.

Wilder, 39, has not fought since being brutally knocked out by China’s Zhilei Zhang last June, and has lost four of his last five contests, with Tyson Fury stopping him twice while he was also outpointed by Joseph Parker.

Wilder has previously strong hinted at retirement, but he has now decided to make a comeback.

It has been confirmed that he will face fellow American Tyrrell Herndon on June 27 in Kansas.

Herndon holds a professional record of 24 wins and five losses, and has been victorious in his last three fights since being stopped by prospect Richard Torres Jr.

Wilder, who has 42 knockout wins to his name, will be hoping for another early night to prove he still have something left to offer in boxing’s blue-riband division. 

The hard-hitting heavyweight held the WBC title from January 2015 to February 2020.

Fans called for him to face Anthony Joshua for years, but the fight never materialised, and Wilder took on Fury in December 2018 instead.

The pair fought to a contentious draw, but the rematch was far more conclusive, with Fury winning via seventh-round knockout 14 months later.

In October 2021, Fury and Wilder stepped into the ring together for a third time and played their part in a modern-day classic.

Fury eventually prevailed by stoppage in the 11th round, but he had to survive two knockdowns to get his hand raised.

Wilder returned 12 months later to flatten Robert Helenius inside a round, but subsequent losses to Parker and Zhang have left him some way down the heavyweight pecking order.

But he is not ready to hang his gloves up just yet, and is now slated to return later this year.