Retired boxing great Lennox Lewis said today that he would like to see Deontay Wilder retire after his loss last Saturday night against Zhilei Zhang in Riyadh.
Lewis feels it would be a good idea for the 38-year-old former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) to hang up his gloves while his “faculties intact.
Wilder was knocked out in the fifth round by 41-year-old Zhang (27-2-1, 22 KOs) in the main event at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
The defeat for Wilder was his fourth in his last five fights since 2020 and a clear sign that he no longer has the tools to win at the highest level. Two of the knockouts were at the hands of Tyson Fury.
Wilder’s Decline and Pre-Fight Retirement Talk
Before last night’s fight with Zhang, Wilder had said he would retire if he lost. However, after the contest, he didn’t confirm that he’ll go through with his retirement talk.
According to promoter Eddie Hearn, Wilder wasn’t happy with the referee stopping the fight in the fifth round. Wilder had gotten back up, but the referee waved it off rather than give him a chance.
Could it be that Wilder feels that it wasn’t a true loss due to the premature stoppage? You can’t rule that out because it did look like the referee stopped the fight without giving the Bronze Bomber a chance to try and bail himself out with his right hand like he’d come close to doing in his trilogy match against Tyson Fury in 2021. We all saw what Wilder did in that fight.
The @BronzeBomber told us before the fight that he would retire if he didn’t win. I think that’s a wise decision. He’s more than carved out a life in which he can take care or his daughter, 💪🏾 so before he suffers any more damage, it’s best to leave the game with ur faculties…
— Lennox Lewis, CBE, CM (@LennoxLewis) June 2, 2024
Fans believe Wilder no longer has the confidence or the reflexes to pull the trigger on his punches, and they feel that his three fights against Tyson Fury ruined both fighters. Tyson looks shot, too, but Wilder is more so.
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