BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Alabama Athletic Commission has confirmed that Tuscaloosa native and WBC Heavyweight Boxing Champion Deontay Wilder will return to the Magic City to defend his title in his upcoming fight.
This past June, Wilder defended his title in Bartow Arena in an epic fight against Eric Molina. Now, he is set to defend his title once again in his home state.
While there was initially speculation of where the next bout would take place, the details of the fight’s venue and date have now been finalized. Wilder will fight on Sept. 26 at Legacy Arena at the BJCC.
The undefeated Wilder (34-0, 33 KOs) was also required to pick a competitor from the top 15 for his upcoming match, and he will be fighting against Frenchman Johann Duhaupas. Duhaupas is currently ranked No. 12 in the WBC rankings, and is 32-2, 20 KO after his recent win over Manuel Charr this spring.
Wilder is holding true to his promise that he made to his home-crowd fans back in June when he knocked-out his opponent in his first title defense match in Birmingham’s Bartow Arena. Wilder has also already spoken of wanting to “bring the world to Alabama” and he is clearly committed to bringing his fights and fans to his home state.
“This is the first of many title fights in Alabama,” Wilder said after his first successful defense of his title.
The event will be televised nationwide on NBC’s Premier Boxing Championship series. An official announcement as well as more details of the fight will be released at a news conference on Thursday at Legacy Arena in Birmingham.
