Deontay Wilder Returning to the Ring this Fall

Former WBC heavyweight champion and Tuscaloosa native Deontay Wilder officially announced his return to the ring this week.

The "Bronze Bomber" is set to face off against former European Boxing Union (EBU) Champion Robert Helenius in a 12-round main event bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on October 15, 2022.

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Helenius, or "The Nordic Nightmare," is currently the No. 9 ranked heavyweight in the WBC rankings and the No. 2 in the WBA; he enters this fight with a 31-3 record that includes 20 knockouts.

Wilder, coming off a two-fight skid, holds a 42-2-1 record with 41 knockouts and is looking to bounce back after tough losses to Tyson Fury.

Per a press release from Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), the bout will headline a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View card that co-features two-time WBC super-middleweight champion Anthony "The Dog" Dirrell taking on former IBF super-middleweight champion Caleb "Sweethands" Plant.

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Wilder told PBC, "It’s been a long journey for me and as of today it continues. I thought so many times about whether I should stay out of the business or come back," he continued, "Once I got my statue in my hometown and saw so many people arrive and celebrate with me and my family, to see all the emotions, grown men crying in front of their children and saying he is a real true king, made me feel like my job is not done."

The 37-year old knockout artist received a statue in Tuscaloosa this year, commemorating his incredible career up to this point.

Helenius said, "I’m going to produce an even bigger upset than I did with Kownacki. I’m going for the belt, so this is a fight to prepare me to achieve that goal. I can only become the best heavyweight in the world by beating the best and that’s what I intend to do on October 15.’’

Wilder's work will be cut out for him as "The Nordic Nightmare" has won six of his last seven fights and is hungry for a shot at the title.