Wilder to return vs. Herndon on June 27

Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder will face Tyrrell Herndon in a 10-round fight June 27 in Wichita, Kansas, promoters told ESPN's Mike Coppinger on Friday.

Wilder will be stepping into the ring for the first time in over a year. The 39-year-old suffered a fifth-round knockout loss to Zhilei Zhang last June in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Wilder is riding a two-fight skid - which also includes a lopsided defeat to Joseph Parker in December 2023 - and is 1-4 in his past five appearances. He was last victorious in a first-round knockout of Robert Helenius in October 2022.

Promoter Joshua Chasse told Coppinger that the fight against Herndon is Wilder's "first step" in regaining the heavyweight throne.

"This is Wilder's legacy reloaded," Chasse said. "He's still one of the hardest punchers in boxing."

Wilder held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015-20 and made 10 successful defenses.

Herndon, a 37-year-old from San Antonio, has won three straight. He hasn't competed since last May. Herndon holds a 24-5 career record with 15 knockouts.