Boxing and retirement usually don't go hand in hand. A fighter says they are walking away, and yet, the lure of financial gain and the roar of the crowd is often too much for them to pass up. 

When he got stopped for the second consecutive time in October 2021 against Tyson Fury, it appeared that would be the last we'd see of Deontay Wilder. He'd be a heavyweight champion and made enough money to last multiple lifetimes. He was 85 percent out the door and ready to enjoy the fruits of his labor. 

But he was roped back in after a statue ceremony on May 25 in his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Talking with people during and after the event made Wilder realize he had more to give to the sport. The journey continues for almost 37-year-old on Saturday, Oct. 15, when "The Bronze Bomber" returns from a one-year layoff to take on Robert Helenius.

“I only wanna put in three more years,” Wilder said during a recent virtual press conference. “By the end of 40, we don’t have to be guessing about Deontay Wilder. We don’t have to assume. You hear it from the horse’s mouth now because, you know, a lot of media, they rather be first than being correct, especially when it pertains to me, you know? But you hear it right here from me. You know, I only wanna give it three more years, about till the end of 40, [before] turning 41. And then I wanna be done with it."