Connect with us

Boxing

Deontay Wilder rules out retirement…linked with fighting Anthony Joshua

Published

on

Deontay Wilder (front) has no plans to retire from boxing, says his trainer Malik Scott

Though defeated back-to-back by Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder through his trainer, Malik Scott,  has ruled out retirement from the ring, even as he eyes a possible bout with Anthony Joshua who has also lost his titles.

Wilder was stopped in the 11th round of a brutal fight in Las Vegas on Saturday as Fury retained the WBC heavyweight he had stripped the Bronze Bomber of in February 2020.

Fury floored Wilder in the third and 10th round, before referee Russell Mora intervened to stop the fight in the penultimate round, leaving many to question Wilder’s future in the sport.

But while it’s now two defeats on the bounce for Wilder, retirement doesn’t seem to be on the agenda just yet. ‘Deontay has set his family financially secure so he doesn’t have to fight to make a living,’ Scott told iFL TV.

‘But retiring is not in his plans at all and not something we’ve discussed.’

Wilder has won 42 of his 45 fights, with both defeats and the draw on his record all coming against Fury.

Advertisement

While Wilder’s camp are adamant that there are no plans to retire, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has claimed that the American should really consider hanging up his gloves.

Hearn said it was not ‘not normal’ for Wilder to be exhausted in the early rounds of his fight with Fury, and has warned it will be difficult for him to continue fighting at the top level as his ‘legs were gone’ by the third round. 

Up next for Fury will most likely be fellow Brit Whyte, who was confirmed as the mandatory challenger to the WBC-belt holder earlier this week, while the win pushed him closer to an undisputed showdown against either Anthony Joshua or his recent conqueror Oleksandr Usyk.

However, for Wilder, he will likely have to wait for the loser of Joshua and Usyk’s rematch, while a heavyweight clash with fellow American Andy Ruiz Jr is also on the cards.

British fans will be desperate to see Joshua retain the WBA, WBO and IBF straps from Usyk in their rematch to set up undisputed title fight with Fury in the future. But should he fail to retain the gold, a match-up with Wilder will be another highly-anticipated heavyweight bout every boxing fan will be pining to see.

Advertisement

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

Continue Reading
Advertisement