Deontay Wilder finds himself in between a rock and a hard place.

For approximately a decade and a half, the former Olympic bronze medalist violently dispatched of his competition. However, following back-to-back stoppage defeats against Tyson Fury, his overarching star power appeared to be dimming.

But while the Alabama native contemplated retirement, he dismissed the notion that he would hang up his gloves for good and returned to the ring this past weekend against Robert Helenius. Anxious to re-establish himself amongst the heavyweight division’s elite, Wilder cataclysmically ended the night of his man in the very first round.

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Although the 36-year-old was proud of his latest victory, his overwhelming grin turned to one of sorrow as he contemplated his future endeavors. Considering that the former WBC title holder appears to be as powerful as ever, he’s fully aware that the fighter pool for his next ring outing has shrunk significantly.

“A lot of fighters see what I see I do,” said Wilder to BoxingScene.com. “They can always say, ‘I can be the same one.’”

Before leaving Helenius comatose in the center of the ring, Wilder’s name was linked to a bevy of fighters, including Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz Jr., and current unified champion, Oleksandr Usyk.

Amongst those aforementioned names, Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) views his potential foes as all great challenges. In the case of Joshua, while he recently suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Usyk, Wilder adamantly stated that a showdown between them would still be considered the biggest fight in the boxing world. Ruiz, on the other hand, stretched his win streak to two following his close but clear unanimous decision win against Luis Ortiz earlier this year.

Ultimately, if the decision were his and his alone, Wilder’s next bout would take place against Ukraine’s Usyk. But, in any event, Wilder is dubious that many of the heavyweight division’s best fighters will impetuously move forward with a showdown against him.

“Hell nah, they ain’t trying to get in the ring with me.”