Deontay Wilder likely to face Eric Molina on June 13

Deontay Wilder's first WBC world heavyweight title defense isn't likely to get many boxing fans excited, but it should give him a chance to return to highlight reel form. Wilder (33-0, 32 KO) is likely to face Eric Molina on June 13, with Showtime televising from Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

Molina (23-2, 17 KO) last faced a contending fighter in 2012, when he was knocked out in 2:30 by Chris Arreola. BoxRec currently has him ranked the No. 45 heavyweight in the world, behind the likes of 45-year-old Kali Meehan (30) and 42-year-old Fres Oquendo (36), as well as recent Klitschko fodder like Francesco Pianeta (42) and Alex Leapai (43). But he is two spots ahead of Mariusz Wach, so there's that.

The 33-year-old Molina more or less shapes up as an opponent like one of those guys for Wilder. Deontay wants to fight, and this gives him a fight date. It also could be something of a victory lap performance at home in Alabama, where he helped to establish a boxing commission back in 2009, the year after winning bronze in Beijing.

This will be Wilder's sixth fight in his home state, and his first since a 2012 win over Kertson Manswell in Mobile.