Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder 43-2-1 (42) is plotting his return to the ring after more than a year on the sidelines.
The 38-year-old from Tuscaloosa, Alabama has boxed less than three minutes in the past two years after blasting out fringe contender Robert Helenius 32-5 (21) in the opening frame in October last year.
“I am coming back, I will be back. And this time even stronger than before, you understand me,” Wilder said to Blue Blood Sports TV. “And I’m looking forward to every moment of it. We just flawless right now, enjoying life and enjoying the kids and staying ready at all times.”
It has been a frustrating time for Wilder, who has tried unsuccessfully to negotiate fights with former unified champions Anthony Joshua 26-3 (23) and Andy Ruiz Jr 35-2 (22).
“It’s one of the most toughest businesses in the world because it has no structure,” Wilder said. “It goes all types of directions. Even when you think you got something solid and sealed and delivered, somebody can throw a wild card in there and mess it all up.
“The most difficult part of boxing is the business itself. We need one governing body to control this circus.”
Wilder hasn’t given up on facing Joshua, even though he believes the 34-year-old Brit is afraid of him.
“I just don’t know what’s up with Joshua,” he said. “Maybe I’m gonna have to go to England and sit down with him on some real man shit… I don’t want him to feel like I have anything against him, but I know he’s afraid of me.
“Joshua, me and you is the biggest fight in the world bro, what are you doing? I really wanna talk to that dude.”
Mexican-American Ruiz, 34, reportedly priced himself out of a bout against Wilder, but the ‘Bronze Bomber’ said negotiations are not are not dead yet.
“That fight is not lost… These guys get on my nerves, but we still in talks, man,” Wilder said. “We back in talks. There was a lot of apologising going on and stuff like that, but it’s well received. We’ll see what happens.”
Wilder’s return comes at an interesting time for the heavyweight division. On the last Saturday of December WBC titleholder Tyson Fury 34-0-1 (24) had an unexpectdly tough time against boxing debutant and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou 0-1 in Saudi Arabia.
Fury holds two wins and a draw against Wilder but looked like a shell of himself against Ngannou, who decked him in the third only to lose a split decision.
“I didn’t even get to watch the fight,” Wilder said. “I had a lot of texts and people calling me about it, especially when he got dropped. After the fight a lot of people were figuring out what was going on, ‘Maybe he did cheat [in your fight], maybe he did have something in his gloves.
“All these things are coming up now. Everybody’s saying he lost and, ‘Deontay we need you back,’ and how boring boxing is, the heavyweight division is crumbling and falling. I’m coming.”
