NORTH HOLLYWOOD, California – Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder won’t be hanging up the gloves anytime soon.
Wilder, 39, has lost four out of his last five fights dating back to 2020, but the knockout artist still has some fight left in him.
“He definitely wants to fight again, for sure,” Wilder’s trainer Malik Scott told BoxingScene at the Brickhouse Boxing Club, where Scott coaches. “Some good things should be coming up in 2025. For now, Deontay has just been resting and focusing on family and his businesses. When you are in the second half of your career and in high-level fights against bigger guys, rest is just as important as ripping and running.”
In his last fight in June, the “Bronze Bomber” Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) was knocked out by Zhilei Zhang in five rounds. In December, the Tuscaloosa, Alabama native suffered a unanimous decision loss to Joseph Parker. In both fights, Wilder was reluctant to unleash his devastating right hand.
“I don’t know, he just couldn’t pull the trigger,” Scott said of Wilder’s performance against Zhang. “At the end of the day, he’s human. He went in there and tried his best and lived to fight another day … Sometimes the actual opponents are the problem. People don’t like to say that. They’d rather say everything Deontay or I didn’t do. That takes away the credit from the opponent and their trainers and what they bring to the table. Was Deontay supposed to win those fights? Absolutely. But this is heavyweight boxing and things happen. That’s boxing. That’s life. Sometimes things don’t go according to plan and you have to give credit to the opponent and come back better and stronger.”
Scott said comeback fights for Wilder against Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz Jnr and Jarrell Miller would all be ideal.
“People love seeing Deontay Wilder fight,” said Scott. “The AJ fight may not be as juicy as it once was when they were both undefeated but it’s still a juicy fight.
“The heavyweight division is alive and breathing right now but it could be a lot better. There are just like five guys in the division that are in high demand right now. It’s about what Turki Alalshikh believes and what the fans want to see.”
Scott, a former heavyweight contender who tallied a record of 38-3-1 from 2000 to 2016, also relayed a message to those who insist Wilder and Joshua should retire following brutal knockout losses and rough wars in recent years.
“Just shut up and enjoy the show,” said Scott. “If you really want them to retire, don’t tune in when they fight. Don’t pay your hard-earned money and go to the fight. It’s just the hypocrisy of boxing fans, I guess you can say. I understand all aspects of it. I understand the fans, fighters, managers and promoters. We all have a perspective, but be respectful of the fighters.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
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