A former long-reigning heavyweight champion is just weeks away from making his return to the sport.
The landscape of the heavyweight division has changed dramatically over the last few years, but the stand-out performer has been Ukrainian icon Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk made history when he defeated Tyson Fury to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the ‘four belt era’ last year, before repeating this feat against ‘The Gypsy King’ in their rematch months later.
The 38-year-old Ukrainian had to surrender his IBF crown ahead of his second encounter with Fury however, paving the way for hard-hitting Briton Daniel Dubois who was declared as champion last June, making the first defence of his title against countryman Anthony Joshua in September.
Another fighter who is looking to push towards a shot at one of the four world heavyweight titles is former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, who reigned as champion between 2015 and 2020 before he was dethroned by Fury in their highly anticipated rematch.
Wilder has not fought since he was knocked out by Zhilei ‘Big Bang’ Zhang last summer, but the 39-year-old told TMZ Sports that he is returning with a vengeance as he targets becoming a world champion once again.
“I’m coming back for all the belts, you know the heavyweight division I brought it back years ago in 2015 and I’m gonna bring it back again.”
‘The Bronze Bomber’ makes his long-awaited comeback on Saturday June 28 when he faces countryman Tyrrell Anthony Herndon in a non-title heavyweight bout at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
