Deontay Wilder still has hopes of returning to the very top of the heavyweight division.
Wilder was once the most feared puncher in the banner weight class, knocking out every fighter that was put in front of him.
It saw him hold the WBC heavyweight title for five years, making 10 defences against the likes of Luis Ortiz, Bermane Stiverne and Dominic Breazeale, before ‘The Bronze Bomber’ then had a trilogy with Tyson Fury.
This was where things took a turn for Wilder, with the first fight ending in a controversial draw, before Fury claimed two knockout victories in the following bouts to win and then defend the WBC heavyweight title.
Further defeats to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang followed for Wilder, but he did manage to return to winning ways with a seventh round stoppage victory over the unheralded Tyrrell Herndon earlier this year.
While many fans think that the 39-year-old may now be past his best, Wilder is continuing with his career, and is set to target a major fight over the next 12 months.
Speaking to World Boxing News, Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel laid out the plans, and revealed the two names his man will be aiming for in 2026.
“The plan is for Deontay to have another fight before the end of this year. After that, we will be looking for a big fight in 2026. We’d be looking at a fight with Anthony Joshua or Usyk, something like that.”
Joshua and Wilder have been linked to a fight with one another for a number of years, but it has never been able to materialise. Just like Wilder, Joshua is looking to rebuild his career, having not fought since a knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.
As for Usyk, he became undisputed heavyweight champion for the second time in July after a knockout win over Dubois, but it is unlikely that ‘The Bronze Bomber’ would be able to leapfrog the likes of Joseph Parker and Agit Kabayel to earn a shot against the Ukrainian.
