Deontay Wilder vows return to the ring during statue unveiling

Those of you who saw John Hansen’s excellent interview were aware that Deontay Wilder’s native Tuscaloosa, Ala., unveiled a life-sized statue of “The Bronze Bomber” today.

Wilder himself was present for the ceremony, and he appeared to confirm that he’s not done with the sport of boxing quite yet.

“I can’t stop right here. I must continue my journey. I have to, I have to.”

Even with his pair of stoppage losses to Tyson Fury, there’ll be no shortage of fans ready to welcome him back to the ring with open arms. Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KO) remains one of the most freakishly devastating punchers of all time and showed some incredible grit in his most recent effort, which garnered countless “Fight of the Year” accolades.

His climb back to the top may not be particularly long, either. He still sits at #1 in the WBC rankings; should Fury actually retire, Wilder could presumably jump right into a vacant title fight against Joe Joyce. Even if that doesn’t pan out, he remains in the WBA top 10.

We’ll let you know as soon as anything’s made official.