Deontay Wilder was "85 per cent" certain he would retire from boxing after his two defeats to Tyson Fury, before his hometown unveiled a statue in his honour this year.
Wilder had never been beaten in his professional career before his shocking 2020 knockout at the hands of Fury in their rematch for the WBC world heavyweight title. And he was beaten even more brutally in an iconic trilogy bout with the Brit the following year, despite putting up a fantastic fight and dropping his rival twice.
He appeared to be on his way out of the sport after the loss, but has since signed up for a comeback fight with Robert Helenius which takes place next week in New York. Oleksandr Usyk has expressed interest in fighting the American, and there is a real belief that he could get back to world title contention with a couple of big wins.
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