Heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder, who has feasted on soft or unknown opposition throughout his career -- except for the fight in which he won his belt -- has been matched that way again.
Wilder will make the second defense of his title when he faces France's little-known Johann "Reptile" Duhaupas on a Premier Boxing Champions card on NBC in prime time Sept. 26 (8:30 ET) at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, not far from Wilder's hometown of Tuscaloosa. The fight was announced at a news conference at the arena on Thursday.
"I know my opponent has great size, and that's what we're looking for in opponents," the 6-foot-7, 229-pound Wilder said of the 6-5, 242-pound Duhaupas. "He has a great record, and he's never been knocked out -- until he faces me. I know Duhaupas is tough and he comes to fight, and that's exactly what we need."
Wilder, a 2008 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist, faced his first notable opponent on Jan. 17 in Las Vegas as he took the title from Bermane Stiverne by a one-sided decision win. Wilder returned home for his first title defense on June 13, knocking out lightly regarded Eric Molina in the ninth round of a one-sided fight at Bartow Arena in Birmingham.
The 29-year-old Wilder (34-0, 33 KOs), who owns a destructive right hand, said he is excited to fight at home again.
"Fighting at home last time exceeded my expectations, and coming back again is a blessing upon my life," Wilder said. "I'm looking forward to bringing more boxing to Alabama and introducing the entire state to this great sport."
If Wilder defeats Duhaupas, he may fight once more this year before a mandatory defense in the first part of 2016 against former titlist Alexander Povetkin (29-1, 21 KOs), of Russia, who is scheduled to first face former title challenger Mariusz Wach (31-1, 17 KOs) on Nov. 4 in Kazan, Russia.
Duhaupas (32-2, 20 KOs), 34, who will be fighting in the United States for the first time, is well traveled. He has boxed in France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Russia, Morocco, Algeria, Panama and Japan.
He is 1-1 this year, losing a 12-round unanimous decision to Germany's Erkan Teper in Germany in March followed by the most notable win of his career, a majority 10-round decision against former world title challenger Manuel Charr on April 10 in Moscow.
Duhaupas' other defeat came in 2008 by unanimous 12-round decision to Francesco Pianeta, who was knocked out in world title bouts by Wladimir Klitschko -- the recognized world champion -- and Ruslan Chagaev.
"I am very happy to be challenging Deontay Wilder for the heavyweight world title," said Duhaupas, who did not appear at the news conference but spoke in a pre-taped video. "This is a huge opportunity, and I will make the most of it on Sept. 26. Deontay is a good boxer, but I have the heart of a lion and the mental fortitude to handle anything in the ring.
"Fighting in the U.S. was a dream for me, and now I'll achieve it. Fighting against Deontay Wilder is the next logical step for me. I've been dreaming about [fighting for a world title] for 15 years, boxing and training for 15 years, and now I can do it. Deontay is very dangerous. He is a huge champion, but I can be a huge champion, too, and I'll do it."
The fight will mark the first time in 30 years that NBC will televise a heavyweight world title bout in prime time, the last coming on May 20, 1985. That is when Larry Holmes defended his title against Carl "The Truth" Williams in Reno, Nevada, winning a 15-round unanimous decision.
"From Holmes in '85 to Wilder in '15, NBC Sports continues its rich boxing heritage with a heavyweight championship fight in prime time," said Jon Miller, the president of programming for NBC Sports. "This broadcast will introduce Deontay to a whole new group of sports fans, which is what we set out to do when we first partnered with PBC."
In the junior welterweight co-feature, former lightweight titleholders Omar Figueroa Jr. (25-0-1, 18 KOs) and Antonio DeMarco (31-5-1, 23 KOs) will meet in a scheduled 12-round bout.
Figueroa, 25, of Weslaco, Texas, is coming off an exciting unanimous decision against former lightweight and junior lightweight titlist Ricky Burns of Scotland on a May 9 PBC card in Hidalgo, Texas.
DeMarco (31-5-1, 23 KOs), 29, of Mexico, is coming out of a retirement that lasted less than two months. Two days after losing a one-sided 10-round decision to former junior lightweight titlist Rances Barthelemy on a June 21 PBC card in Las Vegas, DeMarco announced his retirement.
