Johnny Nelson has been speaking honestly about the current state of one heavyweight ahead of his latest return to the ring.
Retirement is often the hardest decision a boxer has to make in their career. The lure of the bright lights, the big purses and the adrenaline rush of fight night is a near impossible thing to replace.
It is a reckoning that several of the world’s most recognisable heavyweights will have to make soon, as the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk, and Zhilei Zhang are all fast approaching 40, if they are not already.
Derek Chisora has long said he would bow out after his 50th fight, which is next, and which we now know will see him take on Deontay Wilder, pending an official announcement.
Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, Nelson thinks he has seen signs of serious decline in the American puncher in his recent outings.
“As a heavyweight, you go downhill rapidly. He just looked frail; there was no snap in his shots or anything, when he got hit, he looked vulnerable. When it’s gone, it’s gone. He’s 40 years old.
Wilder has lost four of his last five, and three of those by knockout. Two came at the fists of Fury, one was to Zhilei Zhang and another was against Joseph Parker when he seemed unable to detonate the famous right hand that saw him rule the division as WBC title holder for so many years.
