Deontay Wilder became the fourth person to leave US TV show ‘The Traitors’ after suffering from ‘childhood trauma’ before quitting.
The heavyweight star, who recently lost to Joseph Parker in Saudi Arabia, participated in the show before training for the fight began.
Wilder’s stint aired in the United States this month, with viewers recently seeing host Alan Cumming confirm “The Bronze Bomber” had left.
Speaking to US Weekly, Wilder revealed his reasons for dropping out.
“This game was definitely harder than I thought it would be,” said Wilder. “I thought it was trying to figure out [who] were the Traitors.
“Being that you have so many more Faithfuls than the Traitors, it would be kind of easy to try to figure it out,” he added.
Deontay Wilder’s childhood trauma
Wilder stated how filming the series affected him: “Being on this show, it really struck some childhood trauma from me that I didn’t expect.
“I didn’t see this coming in a million years. The things that I dealt with as a child, I never had an outlet to be able to release.
“Sometimes you go through life, and certain things allow you to be able to release that and that emotion. You feel better. But I never had an opportunity or any particular place,” he concluded.
Wilder’s boxing career is currently on the ropes. Parker dominated him during Riyadh Season’s Day of Reckoning. A return is being touted for the late spring back under Al Haymon.
Premier Boxing Champions recently acquired a new TV deal with Amazon Prime Video. And despite Wilder fighting outside the PBC realm for his bout, he remains on Haymon’s roster.
Two-weight world champion
One thing is for sure: Wilder needs a win before he considers another jaunt to the Middle East. As World Boxing News has suggested on many occasions, a short run at Super Cruiserweight could be the tonic Wilder needs.
Current WBC champion Lukasz Rozanski seems ripe for the picking for Wilder. The 38-year-old may persuade the World Boxing Council to give him an immediate shot at the title.
Even with the loss against Parker, Wilder remains ranked in the WBC top ten at heavyweight. Any drop down to 226 pounds would allow him to challenge for the green and gold belt.
Becoming a two-weight world titleholder opens up another massive fight in the top division, where Deontay Wilder would have far more leverage for negotiations.
