Deontay Wilder will be fighting second-tier heavyweight Stephan Shaw in his comeback in April on BLK Prime PPV in Atlanta, Georgia.
Many fans have never heard of the 12-year professional Shaw, but he’s known to the hardcore boxing public for his clash against Efe Ajagba. Shaw will be a good barometer for gauging Deontay’s career progress.
Things have gotten pretty bad for the 39-year-old Deontay, now reduced to fighting off the major networks against the non-contender Shaw. The Bronze Bomber should have gotten a clue and fired his trainer, Malik Scott, after his loss to Tyson Fury in their trilogy in 2021.
The changes that Malik has tried to make with Deontay, attempting to turn him into a boxer, have failed. He’s now stuck fighting a lower-level fighter, who might lose, and that’ll be it. Career over. It’s never a good idea to have a trainer that is your friend.
Must-Win Situation
Wilder, 39, is in a dire must-win situation with his career after losing his two fights and four out of his last five. There are a lot of questions about whether the former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) is washed. There’s an excellent chance that Deontay will lose this fight if he continues to be fearful of throwing punches like we’ve seen in his four losses since 2020.
This fight will show whether Wilder can still be viewed as a marketable fighter. If he’s unable to defeat Shaw (20-2, 15 KOs), it would be a sign that he needs to retire.
Turning Point
Most would agree that Wilder’s 7th-round knockout loss to Tyson Fury in their second fight in 2020 was a turning point in their career and where he stopped being the aggressive ‘Bronze Bomber’ that fans had once known.
Since that fight, Deotay has seemed reluctant to pull the trigger on his punches, which has resulted in him losing the trilogy to the light-punching Fury by a knockout and getting beaten by a shot-looking Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. A more fearless, younger version of Wilder could have won all three fights.
Shaw’s Rise & Fall
Shaw is a sturdy fighter, capable of taking a good shot and returning fire. He went 10 rounds with heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba, losing a narrow decision on January 14, 2022. However, little-known Joseph Goodall knocked Shaw out in the sixth round on July 22nd, 2023. Losing to that level of opponent showed that Shaw is susceptible to a hard punch.
Before losing to Ajagba, the 6’4″ Shaw was viewed as a future contender in the division and as one of the guys who could potentially fight for a world title. However, after his loss to Ajagba, he’s not been talked about much since. The knockout defeat against Goodall has further hurt his diminished view of hardcore boxing fans having about him.
Shaw’s Last Six Fights:
Jason Bergman: TKO 1
Brandon Johnson: TKO 1
Joseph Goodall: TKO 6 loss
Efe Ajagba: UD 10 loss
Rydell Booker: UD 8
Bernardo Marquez: KO 1
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