It’s uncertain what the next professional step is for former heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder, but if his latest public statement is to be believed, he wants it to be forward – and into a fight with another famously heavy hitter.
On Saturday, Wilder, 44-4-1 (43 KOs), responded to a recent callout from former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou by implying that he is up for the challenge.
“Respect, but I’m ten toes down No fear, no fold, no fake.. Always ready, always solid. Step in the ring and you’ll see what that means,” Wilder posted to his Instagram account, tagging Ngannou in that age-old gauntlet-throwing boxing custom.
The message was presumably in response to an Instagram post Ngannou had posted last week, which included a brief video snippet of him hitting the mitts with a trainer and a short message in which Wilder was tagged: “It’s time to finally settle the debate.”
Ngannou had already publicly stated his interest in a Wilder fight, though it wasn’t until this weekend that Wilder spoke about the subject. In an interview with YouTuber Brian Mazique published early Saturday morning, Wilder said of the prospect of facing Ngannou, “I think it’s a helluva fight. … Let’s make it happen.”
Then, later Saturday afternoon, came Wilder’s Instagram post:
All of this comes after indications from Wilder representative Shelly Finkel, per a conversation with boxing reporter Dan Rafael in June, that Wilder would next fight in South Korea if the money were “real,” before setting his sights on a 2026 blockbuster.
When BoxingScene reached out to Finkel on Saturday evening to ask about what comes next for “The Bronze Bomber,” Finkel replied that he wasn’t ready to comment.
Wilder, 39, held a heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020 and is the only American to possess a belt in the division since 2007. After starting his career with 39 consecutive knockout wins, Wilder saw his profile raised to new heights in his epic clashes with former undisputed champ Tyson Fury (in which he went 0-2-1). He spent a year out of the ring after he was stopped by Zhilei Zhang in June 2024 – his second defeat in a row and fourth in five fights – before returning from a year layoff to stop Tyrrell Anthony Herndon last month.
Ngannou, a 38-year-old from Cameroon, is 0-2 in the ring, having lost a surprisingly close split decision to Fury in 2023 and having been stopped by Joshua in March 2024.
At this stage, Wilder, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, appears to be entertaining only the possibility of big-money fights. In addition to matchups with Ngannou and former two-time unified heavyweight champ Joshua, Wilder confirmed interest in a Jake Paul fight – though admitted to Fox News Digital that “it’s just rumors” for now.
Jason Langendorf is the former Boxing Editor of ESPN.com, was a contributor to Ringside Seat and the Queensberry Rules, and has written about boxing for Vice, The Guardian, Chicago Sun-Times and other publications. A member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, he can be found at LinkedIn and followed on X and Bluesky.
