There is no doubt that Deontay Wilder is one of the best heavyweights of this era, but he considers himself one of the best of all time.

Wilder has enjoyed a tremendous career knocking out every opponent he has faced in his 45 fights so far, with the exception of Tyson Fury, to the point that he is considered arguably the hardest puncher in boxing history.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ has not fought since being knocked out by Fury in their trilogy bout last year and he even considered retirement, but now Wilder is making a comeback on October 15 against heavyweight veteran Robert Helenius.

Despite the fact that Wilder will undoubtedly be a huge favourite for this fight, Helenius still poses a threat as he is currently on a decent run of wins.

But, even if he loses, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ thinks he has already done enough in his career to be inducted into the IBHOF (International Boxing Hall of Fame).

“I’m a Hall of Famer right now,” Wilder told BoxingScene.com.

“I already know when those five years are up and I’m done competing, I’m automatically in the boxing Hall of Fame, no questions asked.

“If not, I’ll be very surprised.”

This is quite the claim given that the IBHOF is an extremely exclusive club that only admits the best of the best.

Current inductees in the heavyweight division include the likes of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, the Klitschko brothers and Evander Holyfield.

All of whom are considered some of the greatest fighters of all time, while outside of Fury and possibly Luis Ortiz, Wilder’s resume is a little thin in terms of elite competition.

With that being said, Wilder is up there with the elite in terms of heavyweight title defences having held the WBC belt from 2015 to 2020, making ten successful defences.