Deontay Wilder is one of the most recognisable names in this era of heavyweight boxing. However after back-to-back defeats, his trainer has commented on his future.
On the very first installment of ‘5v5’, Wilder teamed up with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom team to take on Zhilei Zhang.
Despite being made captain of Matchroom’s ‘team’, ‘the Bronze Bomber’ was knocked out by ‘Big Bang’ Zhang in the fifth round.
This alongside with a defeat to Joseph Parker, has led many within the sport questioning whether he has anything left, as not only has he lost but his performances have been way below par too.
However, speaking to BoxingScene, Wilder’s trainer Malik Scott has shed light on what his future holds.
“He definitely wants to fight again, for sure,” said Scott.
“Some good things should be coming up in 2025. For now, Deontay has just been resting and focusing on family and his businesses. When you are in the second half of your career and in high-level fights against bigger guys, rest is just as important as ripping and running.”
Scott also commented on his fighters latest defeat to Zhang.
“I don’t know, he just couldn’t pull the trigger. At the end of the day, he’s human. He went in there and tried his best and lived to fight another day. Sometimes the actual opponents are the problem. People don’t like to say that. They’d rather say everything Deontay or I didn’t do. That takes away the credit from the opponent and their trainers and what they bring to the table. Was Deontay supposed to win those fights? Absolutely. But this is heavyweight boxing and things happen. That’s boxing. That’s life. Sometimes things don’t go according to plan and you have to give credit to the opponent and come back better and stronger.”
Scott mentioned who he would like Wilder to fight next.
“People love seeing Deontay Wilder fight. The AJ fight may not be as juicy as it once was when they were both undefeated but it’s still a juicy fight.
After many calls for Wilder’s retirement, Scott passionately shut down any talk of this.
“Just shut up and enjoy the show. If you really want them to retire, don’t tune in when they fight. Don’t pay your hard-earned money and go to the fight. It’s just the hypocrisy of boxing fans, I guess you can say. I understand all aspects of it. I understand the fans, fighters, managers and promoters. We all have a perspective, but be respectful of the fighters.”
Scott has said that Wilder will not be retiring and instead will be looking for a big fight in 2025.
Wilder has provided boxing fans will many of their most exciting nights, however it remains to be seen whether the man from Alabama can do this again.
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