Tony Bellew has urged a former long-reigning heavyweight champion to walk away from the sport for good.
It has been almost exactly one year since Deontay Wilder was knocked out by Zhilei Zhang in brutal fashion, but the 39-year-old from Tuscaloosa, Alabama is set to make his return to the ring for one final push towards recapturing the world heavyweight championship.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ is set to face countryman Tyrrell Anthony Herndon in a non-title heavyweight showdown at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas on Friday June 27.
Despite Wilder’s intentions of becoming a world champion once again, the 39-year-old has been urged by a number of the sport’s most prominent figures to reconsider his decision and hang up the gloves.
Speaking on a social media post, former world cruiserweight champion Bellew has shared his thoughts, hoping that the American would have drawn the curtain on his career after the Zhang loss to avoid any unnecessary punishment.
“I wish Deontay Wilder well and hope he now thinks about his wealth and ultimately his health … He’s done. Resistance and hunger are both gone.”
Despite Bellew’s wishes, should ‘The Bronze Bomber’ be victorious over Herndon next month, the former WBC heavyweight champion could be in line for a bout against two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, who also finds himself at a crossroads after suffering a shock defeat to Daniel Dubois last September.
Another potential opponent for Wilder is countryman Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller, who has welcomed a future showdown with the 39-year-old.
