Deontay Wilder has succumbed to the one thing all boxers fear – the former world champion got too comfortable outside the ring.
“The Bronze Bomber” looked like a shell of himself last month in Saudi Arabia, losing to Joseph Parker after fourteen months on the sidelines.
Before that defeat, Wilder had fought just once in a year and just twice in a period of almost four years.
Parker toyed with Wilder, beat him up, and cruised to a unanimous decision, winning every round.
Boxing’s biggest killer struck again as a lack of activity was to blame for Wilder’s career probably being over at this point.
He may have shaken off the cobwebs against Parker, but whether Wilder can get back to whether he was for the epic trilogy fight with Tyson Fury is debatable.
There’s also the matter of whether Wilder or his trainer, Malik Scott, knows exactly his ideal weight. In recent bouts, Wilder has either scaled extremely heavy or very, very light.
Neither one seems to be working against the most significant names in the sport.
Activity is a big problem for Deontay Wilder
In an attempt to explain his loss, Wilder spoke to 78 Sports TV. He admitted that being out too long affected his performance.
“My timing was off because of inactivity. I’m disappointed because I know I’m a better fighter than him,” Wilder said. “I hurt him a few times, but certain shots I didn’t take.
“It was hesitation, and I couldn’t understand why. He has no business beating me at all, not even on a magnificent day for him. He didn’t do anything. Neither of us really did anything.
“We did what we did and moved on to the next. You know what I mean? We live to see another day, and that’s what it’s all about. And I’m ready to go home to my children and love all over them.”
Where Wilder goes from here is anyone’s guess. Zhilei Zhang is one of the names being thrown around. On paper, that looks to be a more challenging test than Parker.
At 38, Wilder has little time left but needs to regain his confidence. If he does get a spot on the Joshua vs Ngannou undercard in March, he should utilize that to get back to his knockout ways.
Zhang won’t provide that luxury. Wilder should ignore the payday and ease himself back. An explosive win on March 8 could put him back in action in June for another knockover.
With two wins behind him, Wilder might be up to speed enough to face one of the top ten. Anything less than that could be career-ending as Riyadh Season closes.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer and has been the Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
