On June 1 in Saudi Arabia, as part of a major evening of professional boxing, the once formidable Deontay Wilder made what seemed to be his last attempt to remain at the highest level.
A few months earlier, the Bronze Bomber lost on points to Joseph Parker, having failed to get close to the inconvenient opponent in the 12 rounds. Then many started talking about Deontay starting to give up. He looked timid, insecure, as if he had forgotten about the presence of a terrible blow. Before the fight with Zhang Zhilei, Wilder showed signs of recovery. He was brilliant at the press conference, looked cheerful, and fans started talking about the possible return of the classic version of the boxer who knocked everyone out.
Deontay Wilder
Photo: Fake Images
As practice has shown, the same squeezed, faded and insecure Bronze Bomber entered the ring, who was sent to a strong knockout in the fifth round. This became a reason for serious reflection on whether Wilder should step into the ring again. Only the lazy did not speak out about the end of Deontay’s career.
Promoter Frank Warren advised him to consider other activities: “Wilder has nothing to prove. Zhilei showed what he was made of. In his last two fights, Deontay Wilder was not the fighter he was. This doesn’t just happen in boxing, it happens to all of us in life. I don’t want to take down a guy who is down, but I don’t want to see Wilder fighting prospects. I think he’s too good for that. He’s respected in our business. I think it’s time for him to look for other activities.”
Carl Froch was adamant about Wilder’s inability to compete at the highest level: “It looks like Deontay Wilder is finished. Zhang Zhilei ran him over and I think this should be the end of his career. I don’t think Deontay will announce it, but he will think about it. Wilder is no longer a threat at heavyweight and he can’t compete. He lost to Joseph Parker and now Zhilei knocked him out. And it was a very serious knockout. Deontay looked like a shadow of his former self.”
And Eddie Hearn has indicated that the decision to leave could be the right one: “I don’t think anyone has the right to tell Deontay Wilder that he should retire. But, to be honest, I don’t think we’ll ever see him play at the level he showed before. If he announced he was finishing, that would be right. He could fight at a low level for another two or three years, but I don’t think he’s interested.”
It’s time for Wilder to rest:
The Bronze Bomber’s shameful end. Wilder should no longer step into the ring
And what do we see instead? That WBC boss Mauricio Sulaiman is willing to give Wilder a title fight if he wants it. The nuance is that the title will not be at heavyweight, where Deontay fights, but at bridgeweight, a category that appeared not so long ago. Wilder has always been too small for a super heavyweight, so he will easily fit into the weight limit.
“I am sure that if Wilder wants to fight for the bridgeweight belt, the WBC will approve this decision. But so far we have not received any request from our beloved Deontay’s team,” Suleiman wrote.
The decision is absolutely shameful and once again discredits boxing. Of course, there is no official announcement, but the very fact of such a possibility already says a lot. A man with a two-fight losing streak and a 1-4 record in his last five fights is ready to give up the title.
Deontay Wilder
Photo: Fake Images
Of course, Wilder is a big name, he held the WBC heavyweight belt for a long time, but now he is only a shadow of the Bronze Bomber, and giving him a title shot is disrespectful to current champion Lawrence Okolie. He, of course, would be happy to fight Wilder, who is still capable of giving a boost to a new prospect, but seems unable to offer serious resistance to top contenders in the ring.
The WBC has long been accused of being too loyal to a certain group of fighters. One can recall the example of Saul Alvarez, who is protected from dangerous rivals. Canelo has been freezing WBC interim champion David Benavidez for two years and is not going to fight him, and the organization will not strip its champion of his belt. The attempt to make Wilder a champion and squeeze the last juice out of him is in the same category of shameful decisions.
Canelo is slowly losing his star status:
Canelo is a fading superstar. Alvarez is no longer adored even in his homeland
It is often the WBC that acts as a bulwark for everything bad in boxing. They are ready to demolish legitimate contenders for the sake of convenient champions, they are introducing temporary and silver belts, and now they come up with such tricks. No one would be against Wilder moving to bridgeweight. He can have a couple of fights in a new weight class and get the title if he wins – then there will be no complaints. But they do not plan to do this.
In a good way, it’s time for Wilder to rest, he gave boxing everything he could. I’m remembered for the viral knockouts and the crazy trilogy with Tyson Fury, so he can go away in peace: there’s a legacy, there’s money. If he’s ready for a full-fledged title run, everyone will be happy. And undeserved chances for the belt will be a stain on both Wilder’s career and boxing’s reputation.
