Before a punch is thrown in anger this weekend, concern got raised by Deontay Wilder’s recent admission over his possible retirement.
The statement made to Brian Custer on The Last Stand Podcast made it hard to gauge where Wilder’s mindset sits for Tyson Fury.
Going through a long and arduous arbitration to get Fury in the ring in the first place, “The Bronze Bomber” stated that he wants to clean up the heavyweight division before retiring. But the speed at which Wilder wants to do so brings big question marks to the trilogy.
“I feel it is getting close – retirement,” Wilder told Custer. “I’m seeking one face, one name, one champion.
“The faster I can get that, the faster I can retire and get the hell out of here,” he added.
That kind of talk has never followed the name Deontay Wilder around. Only since he got defeated for the first time, and stopped badly into the bargain, have those sentiments been rendered in the public domain.
Evidence is rife that Wilder aims for life outside boxing, meaning his urgency should get heeded when discussing Saturday night’s clash.
Anytime a fighter mentions hanging up his gloves before a fight, alarm bells should be ringing, especially on the back of a loss.
Just one question getting asked is, ‘maybe Wilder pushed for the Fury agreement to secure the biggest one-fight payday on offer.
DEONTAY WILDER NUMBERS
Had he lost out on Fury III, facing Andy Ruiz Jr. on Pay Per View would certainly not have garnered the same financial numbers.
Therefore, the former WBC heavyweight champion can earn another multi-million dollar paycheck this weekend before riding off into the sunset. So how much ambition does Deontay Wilder actually have to reverse the result?
Time will only tell, but historically, heading into a big fight in your mid-thirties with retirement hovering above your head is never a good situation to be in for any contender.
Wilder looks in great shape and has been talking a good game, though. It is possible the admission was just a smokescreen to put Fury off the scent.
Fury himself has always been one step away from his final fight, and that’s worked for so far. It just begs the question of whether that can work for Wilder as he prepares for what could be his last ring entrance tomorrow night.
