Deontay Wilder is in limbo with his boxing career. The former WBC champion is not training and is no closer to confirming his next fight.
Strange social media behavior, accompanied by admissions he’s a free agent, has left Wilder derailed for the past few months.
A clash with Andy Ruiz Jr. has stalled despite the World Boxing Council blessing it as a final eliminator for Tyson Fury. Meanwhile, Wilder has gone cold on the idea after floating a potential clash with UFC champion Francis Ngannou.
All this coincides with Wilder being out for at least another seven, possibly eight months at the ripe old age of 37. Following his second loss to Fury in October 2021, Wilder had vowed to get his career back on track and be active, having considered retirement.
That outcome hasn’t been forthcoming as Wilder fans worry about his lack of commitment in his 38th year.
Deontay Wilder update
After World Boxing News reported fears for Wilder’s future in the sport last weekend, a friend of WBN, Ashley Theophane, aired his thoughts.
The former Floyd Mayweather fighter spent time with “The Bronze Bomber” in Saudi Arabia for the Tommy Fury event.
“Treasure” shed some light on Wilder’s current headspace as the American knockout artist weighs his options.
“I was speaking to him [Deontay Wilder] this week. He seems to come to the reality that, as boxers, the cards are stacked against us. Pimps and hoes business,” said Theophane to World Boxing News.
Wilder revealed he hadn’t slept for days and didn’t want to travel anymore just hours after stating he wanted to visit his grandmother in the Philippines.
During the last few months of social media activity, Wilder had hardly used his platforms, especially Twitter. But now he’s going through an overload on the service, most of which makes no sense.
Andy Ruiz Jr
His potential opponent Andy Ruiz Jr. is also left in the lurch. After defeating Luis Ortiz in a WBC semi-final, the ex-unified heavyweight champion thought he knew his next move.
However, Wilder’s deviation brought uncertainty, leading to Ruiz leaving promoter Tom Brown and canceling the final bout of his contract [against Wilder].
Where he goes from here is anyone’s guess after turning down the opportunity to face Filip Hrgovic for the interim IBF title.
Ruiz could have moved swiftly to the DAZN streaming network, where he knocked out Anthony Joshua. He chose not to as the Wilder fight remains on the knife edge.
Follow experienced boxing writer Phil Jay on Twitter @PhilJWBN. Follow WBN: Facebook, Insta, Twitter.
