Deontay Wilder has confirmed he will return to the boxing ring.

The former world heavyweight champion had remained silent on his future, after losing back-to-back fights with Tyson Fury.

Speaking at the unveiling of a life-size statue of himself in his hometown of Tuscaloosa in Alabama, the American said: “This moment of time, my goodness.

“In the midst of this journey, I’m being blessed. It’s not like I’m retired and it’s been ten, twenty years. This is now that I’m getting my flowers.

“I can’t stop right now. I must continue with my journey. love you guys so much. I can’t end it like this. This journey’s not over with. I must continue my journey.”

Wilder is considered one of the hardest hitters ever in the sport, evidenced by his record of 39 KOs in his first 40 fights since his 2008 debut.

One fan took to Twitter to reference a Wilder KO, stating: “Bro broke the sound barrier.”

In his 41st fight in December 2018, Wilder faced the Brit. The fight went to a split draw despite many believing Fury should have been awarded the victory.

Wilder faced Fury again in 2020 and was heavily beaten by the Gypsy King, going down by TKO in the seventh round.

Wilder delivered a list of excuses for his loss, blaming his ring gear for fatigue while also throwing accusations of doping and tampering with gloves at Fury.

It appeared Fury would then face Anthony Joshua next, but Wilder got his trilogy match by appealing to arbitration and winning his case, forcing the postponement of the eagerly anticipated Fury and AJ fight.

Wilder again lost to Fury, but this time showed determination to fight back and drop his opponent twice after taking an early injury. Fury won in the 11th round to win the trilogy, however, Wilder did enough to redeem himself to his doubters.

With Wilder now declaring himself available, he may find himself back in the heavyweight title mix in the near future.