Podcast host Carl Froch thinks former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder needs to retire after his loss last Saturday night against Zhilei Zhang in Riyadh.
Wilder’s Decline Evident
Froch feels that the 38-year-old Wilder’s punch resistance is gone, and he can no longer pull the trigger on his punches because his self-confidence is gone.
Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) has lost four out of his last five fights, and he doesn’t have faith in his ability to take a shot for him to throw his still-lethal right hand.
We saw that last Saturday in Wilder’s fifth round TKO loss to 41-year-old ‘Big Bang’ Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) at the Kingdom Arena and in Deontay’s previous loss to Joseph Parker last December.
Surprisingly, the Saudis were willing to use the faded Wilder in the main event of the Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5 vs. 5 event because he wasn’t fit for battle. The retirement talk that the ‘Bronze Bomber’ had made throughout the entire build-up was a clear indication that he didn’t belong in the ring as a headliner for DAZN PPV.
A Flawed Career
Even before the fight last weekend, fans on social media called for Wilder to retire because he’d looked so awful in his fight against Parker and in this third clash against Tyson Fury in 2021. Fury received a lot of credit for his two wins over Wilder, but he didn’t deserve it.
Wilder was always flawed and had never beaten anyone good professionally. Before fighting Fury, Wilder’s best wins were against Bermane Stiverne and 40+ year-old Luis Ortiz. He gave Fury hell, which tells you all you need to know about the Gypsy King. He’s overrated as well.
“I think Deontay Wilder is well past his best. He looked shaky on his legs from the start,” said podcast host Carl Froch on talksport Boxing YouTube channel, talking about Deontay Wilder’s loss to Zhilei Zhang last Saturday night.
“Does he still think he can knock out people with his right hand? If he does, he lacks the belief. Now that the punch is gone along with the punch resistance, I think it’s definitely time for Deontay Wilder to retire.”
Yeah, I agree with Froch. Wilder’s punch resistance has deteriorated to the point where he can’t take any kind of shot without nosediving on the canvas. Zhang had Wilder looking hurt in rounds two, three, and four before pitting him out of his misery in the fifth.
It wasn’t even sporting. Wilder looked terrified the whole time before Zhang finally finished him off. Why in the world did Eddie Hearn even pick Wilder for his 5 vs. 5 event? It’s obvious. He just saw Wilder as a name to bring in PPV buys, and didn’t matter that he had a snowball’s chance of winning. His name was like a pulsar beam to attract fans.
“Now, he’s just been wiped out by Zhang, and has lost four out of his last five fights. Now, it’s time to call curtains with his career. He was knocked out quite bad. I was surprised he got back up because when he went down, he was actually snoring, he’s gone.
“He actually did get up and make it to his feet, but he was in trouble. It looked dangerous [for him]. I think Deontay Wilder needs to retire.
Zhang’s Future
“Zhilei Zhang is in his early 40s. He’s quite slow, but he can punch but what future does he have? It’s a tricky one for him. I’d like to put him in with Anthony Joshua. I think AJ beats him, but if he catches him, it could be a good fight,” said Froch about Zhang and his options.
“He’s kind of in the ‘who needs him club,’” said George Groves about Zhang.
“He needs to fight AJ or Dubois, but like you said, he’s in the ‘Who needs him club,’” said Froch about Zhang.
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