Deontay Wilder has faced calls to retire after two back-to-back losses in Saudi Arabia.
Following his trilogy with Tyson Fury (one draw, two defeats) Wilder took some time out before returning to the ring and dispatching of Robert Helenius in one round.
After another year of inactivity, he matched-up with Joseph Parker with the promise of a long-awaited clash with Anthony Joshua should he win. He didn’t, being systematically outboxed by the New Zealander and losing widely on the cards.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ had looked tentative in the ring but assured fans that would change when he faced fellow hard-hitter Zhilei Zhang six months later. The Chinese heavyweight knocked him out in five rounds.
In the aftermath he has faced calls to retire from the likes of Lennox Lewis. Speaking to Genting Casino, his former opponent and current trainer Malik Scott confirmed that will not be the case while looking back on the Zhang loss.
“Zhang is a very big, dangerous southpaw. Deontay got caught with a shot that put him in an unbalanced position, and Zhang did his job. Deontay has the heart of a lion and is willing to go out on his shield in the ring. He’ll be back. Deontay will fight again.
He still has a bright future in boxing, especially at the high level. Losses happen in boxing, even to the greatest fighters. Right now, he’s doing very well; recovering, enjoying life, and heavily involved in real estate and investing. He just had a great vacation with his kids. Life is good for him.”
Scott then said people in the sport were often too quick to call for fighters to hang up the gloves.
“The same type of people who want Deontay to retire told Muhammad Ali not to fight George Foreman. They said George Foreman shouldn’t have fought Michael Moorer. They said Simon Brown shouldn’t have fought Terry Norris, and that Meldrick Taylor was too young to fight Chavez.
They said Chavez would walk through Pernell Whitaker. These naysayers are part of the sport, and we need them. They provide the energy that keeps the fighters motivated and pushes managers and promoters. In my opinion, they’re wrong 8 out of 10 times, but it’s all part of the game.”
Asked about who Wilder may look to face, Scott said fights against Joshua and former UFC Champion Francis Ngannou were still on the table.
“They are still mega fights. The AJ [fight] Maybe doesn’t have the same juice it once did, but it would still sell out any arena or stadium. Just seeing those two in the ring would be a joy for the fans. If Ngannou keeps doing what he’s doing and still wants that fight, it could be huge as well. I’m proud of Deontay. He’s still in a position to make these big fights happen.”
Fans still await a statement from Wilder.
