‘The Bronze Bomber’ Returns: Deontay Wilder Glimpses Into a Fascinating Future

On June 1, Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) will make his return to the ring against Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of the Matchroom 5 vs. 5 Queensberry event, with Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev as the main event. Talking to Sky Sports “The Bronze Bomber” revealed his future plans for after Zhang and what he is expecting when facing the Chinese heavyweight.

Deontay Wilder Talks About the Future After Zhang Fight

Deontay Wilder Discusses Future Plans

Wilder was unveiled as the Matchroom captain at the press conference for the undercard of Beterbiev versus Bivol. It appears Wilder is aiming for an explosive performance against Zhang, as he aims to get back to the top table in the heavyweight division.

“The Bronze Bomber” looks focused on getting back to winning ways after his defeat to Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia in December. That loss scuppered his plans to take on former unified world champion Anthony Joshua, who impressed at “Day of Reckoning,” with his dominating win over Otto Wallin. A win for the Alabama native would have him knocking on the door of the biggest fights, and it appears he is fully aware of the magnitude of his upcoming fight: “I’m expecting his A plus plus game, I like Zhang, I like him as a fighter and what he presents inside the ring,” Wilder told Sky Sports.

Zhang Burnout and Putting Himself First

Speaking on his opponent, Wilder said: “Especially for the first half of a fight he seems like a true killer and somebody who is going to come and has nice technique and movement.” He continued: “Eventually he burns out and that might be the end of him dealing with a fighter like me, I can go. I like him, I like the fight, I love that he’s a hard hitter, I am as well and may the best man win.”

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Inactivity has plagued “The Bronze Bomber” since the Fury trilogy finished, and Wilder finally seems ready to put himself first: “As fighters we make this money off true blood, sweat and tears and to be where I am right now, to know I’ve done so much greatness, now it’s all about me. I call it being selfish and sometimes it’s okay to be selfish.”

Wilder added: “At this point in time, for me to get that hunger and desire back, to give people The Bronze Bomber who they so miss now, I’ve got to be selfish.”

Future Plans

Despite the formidable task for Wilder in facing Zhang, he has discussed the future possibilities: “I do believe I will face Tyson Fury for a fourth time.” Speaking on other potential fights, Wilder said: “The easier night of the two would probably be Oleksandr, I’ve never fought him before.” 

“Styles make fights, we’ve never fought each other so we don’t know each other, it would be different.” 

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Wilder added: “Fighting somebody you’ve never fought before, you don’t know what surprises might happen. But at the end of the day I respect all fighters who step over that rope, they risk their lives for others.”

Wilder’s manager Shelley Finkel refuses to rule out a Joshua fight but doesn’t want to look past Zhang on June 1: “I don’t know what Joshua is doing next but if he prevails it will be the next thing,” said Finkel. 

“I don’t want to look too far forward, we have a formidable task ahead of us in Zhang, he is formidable against anybody and we’ve got to get through that. I think he will.”

All eyes now turn to the stacked card on June 1, where every fight is fascinating and full of intrigue.