Deontay Wilder clears the air on retirement talks (1 Viewer)

[Wonderboy]

While many boxing heavyweights have flourished under the Saudi spotlight, Deontay Wilder's career has taken a nosedive since Turki Al-Alshikh’s influence entered the sport.

Once a key player in the heavyweight division, Wilder now finds himself on the outskirts, with limited options. Some fans are even urging the "Bronze Bomber" to retire, and it seems the American knockout artist may have made up his mind.

Known for his devastating power, Wilder has always had a puncher’s chance against any heavyweight, keeping alive the possibility of reclaiming his WBC world title. But a one-sided defeat to Joseph Parker last year cost him a career-defining fight against Anthony Joshua. A subsequent stoppage loss to Zhilei Zhang seemed to signal the end of Wilder’s hopes of regaining the heavyweight crown.

However, in an interview with Genting Casino, Wilder’s trainer and former opponent Malik Scott revealed that Wilder isn’t ready to hang up his gloves just yet. In fact, there could be a potential matchup with Derek Chisora, who is searching for an opponent for a December fight in Manchester.

“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.”
“I remember a time when Derek Chisora wanted to fight Deontay just because he’s into fighting dangerous people. That’s what he likes to do. There was a time when it seemed Team Eddie Hearn didn’t want AJ to fight Deontay. And that’s understandable, considering AJ was their investment, and they had their own path mapped out. As for Ngannou, he and Deontay have been in talks before.
“These fights have always been in the mix, but they just never materialised. It’s a blessing that you can take two losses, but your name and reputation are still so big that you’re mentioned at the highest level. Deontay’s still in the realm of big fights, still in a position to make a lot of money and history. He’s very blessed.”