Tony Bellew believes that one former heavyweight champion should call time on his boxing career and protect his health.
Bellew’s final run of fights were some of the biggest in his career. He twice beat former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion David Haye by stoppage in huge Sky Box Office events. In his last ever contest, the former WBC cruiserweight titlist went for undisputed honours against Oleksandr Usyk in 2016.
He lost that fight by knockout and walked away to a career outside the ropes – something many people think former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder should now consider.
The man who once ruled supreme with his heavy right hand knocking out just about all comers has rather come unstuck in recent years.
After a draw with Tyson Fury in their first fight, he was twice knocked out across the rest of their trilogy. Following one simple rebuild win over Robert Helenius, Wilder seemed reluctant to pull the trigger on his power punch against Joseph Parker and lost on points and was then stopped inside five rounds by Zhilei Zhang.
Posting on X, Bellew expressed his belief that ‘The Bronze Bomber’ should now hang up his gloves.
“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 this, Wilder has confirmed he will fight on, with journeyman Curtis Harper looking likely to be his comeback opponent. Should ‘The Bronze Bomber’ win as expected, he will look to land a more high-profile bout, perhaps against MMA star and occasional boxer, Francis Ngannou.
