For a man who once chillingly said he wanted to catch a body on his record, Deontay Wilder sure hasn’t looked like a fighter with a killer instinct lately.

"The Bronze Bomber" has bombed because he hasn’t been able to pull the trigger and fire his detonating right hand in losses to Zhilei Zhang last June and Joseph Parker in December 2023, landing just a combined 55 punches in 17 rounds across both fights.

Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs), who turns 40 in October, chalked up the choppy performances due to problems he was dealing with outside of the ring and the emotional baggage he was bringing inside of it, he said during an extensive interview with The Ring.

The former heavyweight titleholder is promising a reinvented version of himself when he takes on Tyrrell Herndon (24-5, 15 KOs) on Friday at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. The Global Combat Collective PPV event, billed as "Legacy Reloaded," will be distributed by BLK Prime, Fubo and PPV.com, among others, for $24.95.

“It's not a comeback because I never retired — it's the return,” Wilder said. “I had to take a wellness check for my career and life in general. I sought a sports psychologist.

“I didn't tell my team about anything because, in my mind, I wanted to say that I was strong enough to get myself back together without anyone noticing anything. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case and I needed help. After my last fight, I understood that something was wrong with me.

“I am so much better now with my mindset — mentally, physically, emotionally. I'm physically healthy and have my mental health back, too. A lot has happened to me, but God is good. I am ready to go.”

Wilder didn’t get into specifics, but he said he was betrayed by more than a handful of people, including family members. Wilder said a partner whom he loved dearly even stole more than $400,000 from him.

Two days after Wilder was knocked out in five rounds by Zhang, his fiancée and the mother of his daughter, Telli Swift, with whom he was in a relationship since 2015, filed a temporary restraining order and claimed she was abused on several occasions since 2018.

“Betrayal is 10 times worse than a heartbreak,” said Wilder, speaking generally. "It tremendously affected me [and my performances in the ring]. Many of these fights I should have canceled. But it was just me convincing myself.

“There were times when I was going through my roughest times, trying to convince myself that I am still the same man with the same mannerisms and mentality. But in reality, I didn't have confidence in myself. I thought that along the way that in training, or when the fight comes, by that time I will have everything that I need, the self-confidence, the motivation. You're trying to convince yourself but deep down in the roots, there is so much [expletive] going on in your life.

"I'm a giver, and I don't take and don't know what it's like to receive. It's a horrible feeling I can't describe. It's hard to cope when you've given people so much. It's a dagger to your heart ... and then at the end, they try to take you down and bury you and manipulate others that you're a bad person. That should be a straight ticket to hell. But I cut those burdens away from me, and I became much lighter.”

Wilder also couldn't care less if anyone suggests that his skills have eroded following a physically taxing trilogy against Tyson Fury. He's not retiring.

"I don't dwell on what people think of me, especially when you can't do what I do,” said Wilder. “I'm ready for my return and to fulfill my goals and dreams. Many people may speak and say certain things, but the great thing about it is that you're not me, and I'm not you.

“I made some great money, and I invested in a lot of great things. I live a good life, and my family is good. If I don't want to do anything for the rest of my life, I have that option. So don't worry about what I want to do or what I want to pursue in my life. Because at the end of the day, you're still going to watch.”

Wilder credits therapy for helping him give it one last hurrah in search of an Indian summer.

“It was a difficult time in my life to go through, but I promise that I am so much better today,” said Wilder. “I've graduated from the process I had to go through. This is going to be a new beginning for me, with the same mindset, ambition and abilities. It's going to be stronger and more powerful than ever. "