Deontay Wilder vowed to ‘clean out’ heavyweight division while naming three dream opponents

DEONTAY WILDER vowed to 'clean out' the heavyweight division last year as he gets set for a ring comeback.

Wilder, 36, will return to action after a year out when he fights Robert Helenius in New York in October.

The former WBC champion has not fought since his loss to Tyson Fury in their trilogy fight last October.

It was Wilder's second loss to the Brit after their first bout ended in a draw.

WBC king Fury is set to come out of retirement to fight WBA, IBF and WBO champ Oleksandr Usyk.

The Ukrainian beat Anthony Joshua for a second time in Saudi Arabia at the weekend.

Speaking before his trilogy fight against Fury, Wilder told Marcus Watson last year: "I'd love to fight guys I haven't fought, you know, the ones at the top who I haven't fought.

"That's what I want and I know that's kinda lame a little bit, to not name a name. But anyone I haven't faced at the top, that's you."

Asked about Joshua or Ruiz, Wilder responded: "Yeah. Any fighter that's at the top that people haven't seen me fight and people strongly want to see me fight, that's who I want to fight.

"I can sit here and name names all day, that's the easy part.

"I'm just going to go to the top and once you go to the top and it's someone I ain't fought, that's who I want to fight.

"I want to clean the division out, period."

Joshua and Wilder spent the best part of a year failing to agree terms to fight.

It led to AJ facing Ruiz in June 2019, where he suffered a shock upset before winning the WBA, IBF and WBO belts back six months later.

Wilder was asked who his three dream opponents of any era would be and he gave tribute fellow Alabamians Joe Louis, Earnie Shavers and Evander Holyfield.

He said: "When I'm asked that question, my mind always goes back to Alabama, bro, with the fighters that came before me, that paved the way before me.

"Most of them had to start their career in other states, but they were born where I was from.

"I'd want to go up against a guy that's from where I'm from, the likes of Joe Louis, the likes of Evander Holyfield, who is one of my favourite fighters.

"And, the likes of Earnie Shavers. Out of those three guys, there's a lot more that came from this state, but out of those three guys, if not all of them, I would love to share the ring with them."