Deontay Wilder soon makes his comeback to the heavyweight division, and after being linked with big fights like Anthony Joshua, a new potential opponent has emerged.

After a full year out, Wilder fights Tyrrell Herndon on June 27 in a must-win contest if he has any chance of getting back to the top of the division he once ruled. The former WBC world champion and famed knockout artist has lost four of his last five fights, three by knockout to Tyson Fury and Zhilei Zhang, and one on points to Joseph Parker.

Should he beat Herndon, he is being mentioned for plenty of big fights, such as Joshua, who has not fought since losing to Daniel Dubois in September.

However, promoter Eddie Hearn has now told iFLTV that much-loved Brit Dave Allen’s call out has been heard by the American’s team and that manager Shelly Finkel is keen.

“I have heard that Shelley Finkel likes the Dave Allen fight for Deontay Wilder. If Allen wins in September, I’m going to be doing everything I can to make Wilder Allen. Mate, how big is that fight? You know that fight sells out the O2, Manchester Arena and all those, and some.”

Allen’s last fight in May saw him knock Johnny Fisher out cold in their rematch having lost in controversial fashion back in December in the first fight.

The 33-year-old has now had 33 fights, including against top-tier heavyweights like Luiz Ortiz and Dillian Whyte. At this stage and given the momentum, some in the sport believe the durable Brit would represent a challenger for Wilder, who has struggled to find form since beginning his losing streak to Tyson Fury back in 2021.

Speculation surrounding a long-awaited bout between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder has reignited, with Matchroom Boxing publicly expressing fresh interest in staging the heavyweight showdown, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The proposed clash, once touted as a unification decider when both men held versions of the heavyweight titles in 2018 and 2019, failed to materialise at the time.

Years later, the narrative is re-emerging, as Matchroom CEO Frank Smith confirmed the fight remains very much in their sights—provided Wilder successfully completes his upcoming comeback bout.

“If he comes through his warm-up, Deontay Wilder,” Smith told Boxing News when asked about potential opponents for Joshua.

“This sport is about narrative. It’s about buying into fights that people have an interest in and that’s a fight that everyone would still have interest in. Regardless of whether it didn’t happen five years ago, people still want to see it now.”

Wilder, now 39, is scheduled to face Tyrrell Herndon in Kansas on June 27. The former WBC champion has suffered four defeats in his last five fights, including losses to Tyson Fury, Joseph Parker, and most recently Zhilei Zhang.

Despite this decline in form, the American knockout artist remains a major draw, and victory later this month could earn him a shot at Joshua.

Deontay Wilder could still fight Anthony Joshua if he gets his career back on track.

That’s according to Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, who says it’s realistically all or nothing for Wilder now.

Wilder has the chance to revive his career when he faces Tyrrell Herndon in Kansas next month.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ has looked a shadow of his former hardest-hitting self in the ring recently.

He has lost four of his last fights and was shocking stopped by Chinese powerhouse Zhilei Zhang in June last year.

This came six months after he suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Joseph Parker, which derailed a blockbuster meeting with ‘AJ’.

Speaking to FightHype.com, Hearn confirmed that Wilder had signed to fight Joshua at the time and an announcement was imminent, until the former lost to Parker.

Hearn believes that Wilder has now lost his fear factor in the squared circle, but revealed that a fight with Joshua could still happen down the line.

“If [Wilder] keeps winning, maybe people can talk about that fight,” he said.

“It’s definitely not a fight that I rule out, but people don’t give Wilder much shot against AJ right now, but hopefully he can start looking good again.

“Again, we talk about fighters losing their way. There’s a great example.

“It’s funny how people can be so fearful of a fighter, and then all of a sudden have no fear whatsoever.

“I don’t think anybody now would fear fighting Deontay Wilder, whereas at a point, everyone thought: ‘Oh my God, this guy is the biggest puncher in the history of the sport.’

“Now, everyone wants to fight him, so we shall see.”

Hearn also mentioned that Joshua’s last defeat in the ring makes the fight with Wilder more likely to happen if ‘The Bronze Bomber’ gets some wins back.

AJ’s heavyweight title dreams collapsed after he was shockingly knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September.

Dubois now faces Oleksandr Usyk in the same venue in July for the chance to become the first British undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.

Wilder, meanwhile, has faced widespread criticism since his defeat to Zhang, with many boxing enthusiasts calling for his retirement.

“This fight isn’t going to tell us much, apart from [Wilder] gaining the confidence of a win,” Hearn concluded.

“If he struggles against this guy he has to pack it in, but I expect him to win, and hopefully he can win well.”

Nevertheless, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has decided to make a return, as he faces fellow American Herndon, who is 24-5 in professional boxing and a huge underdog for the bout.

It feels like the last chance for Wilder who is 39 years old now and in desperate need of a victory in June.

However, for Herndon, it is an opportunity that he has always dreamt of, and he doesn’t want to just let it slip by.

“It is something I visualised would happen,” the 37-year-old from Texas told talkSPORT.com in April ahead of his clash with Wilder.

“I’ve replayed this scenario in my mind a thousand times, so when it does happen, I’ve already been there.

“Critics told me I was crazy for doing that, [but] I’ve already been there a thousand times already, so when I get in there with him I think it will be natural.

“A week before I got the call, it was my tenth year as a pro, I was on my way to the gym but I turned around.

“I just said ‘today isn’t one of my days’. I’d been doing this ten years, but what did I have to show for it?

“Then my manager rang and I thought it might be Dillian Whyte, as that fight didn’t materialise before.

“But then he said Deontay Wilder and I replied ‘get the f*** out of here.’ I couldn’t believe it.

“It reminded me that any time can be my moment, and it means more than anyone would know.”

Herndon will have all the odds stacked against him at the Charles Koch Arena in Kansas when he takes part in the biggest fight of his career.

Wilder, meanwhile, will hope the fight can propel him back into contention for one more huge payday in the ring against a name like AJ or Francis Ngannou.

Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is targeting a blockbuster clash with Anthony Joshua for next year as he plots a comeback to heavyweight boxing relevance, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The 38-year-old American, who has lost four of his last five fights, is set to return to the ring on June 27 at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita against 29-fight veteran Tyrrell Herndon (24-5) as he begins his journey back to championship contention.

“Not this year for sure, but in the near future,” Wilder told 78SPORTSTV regarding a potential Joshua fight.

“Maybe sometime next year. But all of that is close. I’ve just got to get myself back together first and foremost, and I have got to prove to myself that I am back together like I feel.”

The much-anticipated Joshua-Wilder showdown has been years in the making, with both fighters’ careers taking unexpected turns. While Wilder looks to rebuild, Joshua appears to be entering the final phase of his storied career.

Promoter Eddie Hearn recently confirmed to Sky Sports that Joshua is entering his final year in professional boxing, with plans for between one and three more fights before retirement.

“This is the final year. Let’s not beat around the bush,” Hearn stated. “He’s going to have somewhere between – it could always be your last fight – but one and three fights, that’s the reality of the situation.”

Roy Jones Jr is one of many people who would still like to see Anthony Joshua square off with Deontay Wilder.

These two former heavyweight champions of the world were sitting at the top of the division for many years at the same time. They are both big punchers and exciting fighters who put together plenty of high profile knockouts but frustratingly never managed to align with each other and battle it out in the ring.

Recent years have pushed them even further apart as Wilder lost two of his three fights with Tyson Fury, and then his rebuild attempts went the same way as he lost to Joseph Parker and was then stopped by Zhilei Zhang.

That was his last outing last June, and since then, there have been only rumours that he will return.

It was Oleksandr Usyk who dethroned Joshua and last time out in September the Brit was stopped by Daniel Dubois as he attempted to become a three-time world champion.

Speaking to iFL TV, multi-weight world champion and boxing legend Jones Jr felt that Joshua would come out on top were they to fight any time soon.

“That’s a tough fight but I think Joshua has a better chance of winning that fight. I don’t think Joshua is as damaged as Wilder. Wilder with Parker showed he looked like he didn’t really want it so we’ll see what Wilder shows up.”

‘The Bronze Bomber’ has lost four of his last five fights and is now 39-years-old so the clock is very much ticking on his career.

Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has backed Anthony Joshua to defeat Tyson Fury when they eventually meet, insisting the British-Nigerian only needs to improve his self-confidence to return to the top, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Despite Joshua’s recent knockout defeat to IBF champion Daniel Dubois, Wilder believes a clash between the British rivals would go the distance, with Joshua emerging victorious if he can overcome his mental barriers.

“I can see Joshua beating him (Fury). It’s crazy to say, some people are like how do you see that?” Wilder said.

“But I can really see Joshua winning that fight, to be honest. If he goes in and does what he has to do and does not think so much. I think Joshua thinks a lot. He doubts himself a lot as well. I don’t think he has a lot of self-motivation or self-confidence.

“I think if he changes a few things mentally, he can come back and redeem himself more so than ever.”

The potential clash, which could generate over $300m in revenue, remains one of boxing’s most anticipated matchups despite both fighters losing their most recent bouts – Fury dropping consecutive decisions to Oleksandr Usyk while Joshua suffered the knockout defeat to Dubois.

Top Rank president Todd DuBoef believes the fight would bring Britain to a standstill, even without world titles on the line.