Deontay Wilder couldn’t land his statement shot on Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia, allowing the latter to cruise to a unanimous points win.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ looked a shadow of his former dangerous self, and was even rocked and hurt by Parker in the eighth round.
Whilst most are keen to give Parker his credit for a disciplined performance that led to a shutout win, others believe Wilder, at 38-years-old and very inactive in the sport, is reaching the end of the road.
Speaking on Robert Garcia Unfiltered, the well-regarded trainer who cornered Anthony Joshua for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk said he believes Wilder is now ‘done.’
“It was a surprise to the boxing world because everybody expected him to land with that power that he has. You know, he could be losing every round but one punch ends the fight. He never did. It just seemed like he wasn’t there. I don’t know, I just think he’s done. He’s really done. Even though there’s still a few fights out there that probably generate him really nice paydays, I think he’s done. I think the fight that he had with Fury and maybe inactivity hurt him a lot.”
With the loss, Wilder has likely lost the mammoth payday promised alongside a fight with Joshua – a long-awaited rivalry that now looks to have lost all its steam.
The American has confirmed that he will fight on, but the timeline for that return is unclear.