Wilder’s Manager Reveals When Deontay Should Return to the Ring

Manager of former heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, Shelly Finkel, has revealed when his fighter could return to the ring. The 39-year-old American (44-4-1, 43 KOs) last fought in the summer of 2025, scoring a seventh-round knockout over Tyrell Herndon.

“It happened that I got a message from Eddie [Hearn], and he said: ‘Are you interested?’ I replied, ‘Make me an offer. If David Allen wins his fight, we can talk about it.’

Then he wrote that he’d heard we were close or had another deal. I told him, ‘We’re close, but not done yet.’ I’ve heard a lot of talk about it — we’re open to it.

If Eddie’s pursuing this because he feels that if Allen beats Deontay, he’ll go straight to the top — he’s right. But he’ll have to pay for it,” Finkel said.

“We’re working on a fight for December or January, somewhere around that time.”

David Allen (24-7-2, 19 KOs) is set to face Arslanbek Makhmudov on October 11 in Sheffield, United Kingdom.