Deontay Wilder is poised to return after almost a year out of the sport.
His last fight was in June 2024 when he was stopped inside five rounds by Zhilei Zhang. Prior to that, he lost on points to Joseph Parker in December 2023, and before that he was stopped twice by Tyson Fury.
All that means his career at the top level is on the rocks despite having once been a fearsome knockout artist who had stopped every man he faced up until Fury. He takes on Tyrell Herndon next but has been mentioned as an opponent for the number one ranked Agit Kabayel, who stopped Zhang in his last contest.
In an interview with Sport.de, Kabayel admitted that many offers have come his way, including from former WBC heavyweight ruler Wilder.
“Deontay Wilder has also been mentioned as a potential opponent in Germany. These are all things that are happening in the background, and nothing concrete has been confirmed.”
Kabayel then explained that he will not be lured by big-money offers into fights that don’t make sense. He is focused on capitalising on his number one ranking across all the governing bodies and wants to work towards a legitimate world title.
“Maybe one day there will be a sum that I can’t say no to. But for now, I want to concentrate on the sporting side, stay on the sporting path.”
Once Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Usyk settle their undisputed contest in July, things could open up more for this in-form German. In the meantime, for Wilder’s name to be back in serious contention, he must first win his comeback in June.
