Deontay Wilder has fought just one round of boxing since being involved in a great heavyweight trilogy with Tyson Fury, but he’s kept active in the gym.
After tying the first fight, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ was stopped twice by his British rival, getting a taste of the medicine that he had served to 42 opponents prior.
It’s that punching power that makes Wilder so intriguing and easy to watch, plus the fact that, for a modern-day heavyweight, he’s relatively light.
That’s shown clearly in the latest gym footage from the former champion, who dances around the ring and hits the pads with trainer Malik Scott.
One commenter suggested a move to cruiserweight – for which he’d have to drop 14lbs from his last fight to make – whilst another said he must be ‘the thinnest yet most heavy handed dangerous heavyweight of the last 20 years.’
There were a few jibes about the man from Alabama ‘skipping leg day’, or having the ‘body of a heavy and legs of a lightweight.’ One fan said he was ‘too skinny’, but those who have seen his knockouts from the early days might disagree.
The 6′ 7″ listed fighter weighed in at a career heaviest 238lbs for his third fight with Fury, and was noticeably more muscular.
The thinking behind it was likely to combat against tiring when the Brit leant his 270 pound frame on him, but many just felt that the extra weight served to tire Wilder himself out quicker.
For his next and latest fight in October 2022 – a first round knockout over Robert Helenius – Wilder was back down at his more natural 214, a strategy it looks like he’s kept given this latest clip.
When he fights next is still unclear, with his team being willing to wait until early 2024 to face Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia – not yet signed – but also conceding that a fight in the interim wouldn’t be bad thing.
Negotiations with Andy Ruiz Jr collapsed over a purse disagreement, and there have been few if any other legitimate suggestions since.