It’s been a while since Deontay Wilder has looked like that powerful, explosive athlete who took the heavyweight division by storm. He was never quite reliant on raw skills, but with the sort of power that can knock over a building, all Wilder needed was a split second to turn out the lights of his opponent. Nowadays, however, the success he once enjoyed has come few and far between.
Malik Scott, Wilder’s trainer, didn’t appear worried following his man’s 11th-round stoppage loss at the hands of Tyson Fury in 2021. He simply immured Wilder in the gym and began working on his fundamentals.
In his return to the ring one year later, Wilder turned Robert Helenius into a highlight victim. But, since then, it’s been all downhill.
Losing to Joseph Parker in the immediate aftermath wasn’t a fun experience but coming up short against Zhilei Zhang just a few months later has left Scott bemused.
Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) has never been known as a volume puncher, but he looked timid at times and unwilling to let his hands go. Scott has accepted the criticism that media pundits and fans have hurled in his direction. But while he admits that Wilder needed to step into the fire and make things happen, he wants the critics to take a look at what typically takes place when fighters in opposing stances get in the ring and square off.
“If you look at any time Deontay has fought southpaws, look at Floyd Mayweather when he fights southpaws. When an orthodox fights a southpaw, it’s a matter of position,” explained Scott to Boxing News 24 during a recent interview. “So there’s a lot more pawing going on. They’re trying to keep the southpaw lead hand in control and sometimes, he would sneak in a sharp jab in there but there should have been more sharp jabs with intent in there. He wasn’t taking enough chances a lot of the time.”
On the night, Scott got into the face of his man and begged him to let his hands go. But, despite it all, Wilder’s offense was mundane.
With little to no answers, the former heavyweight belt holder eventually found himself staring up at the ceiling lights in the fifth round.
For some fighters, a loss could careen their career into the abyss. Not a favorable destination, but one that plenty have bounced back from. Wilder though, doesn’t have the time to rebuild himself through countless fights. He turns 40 in October of 2025 and the light at the end of his pugilistic tunnel is brighter than ever.
Still, even with the dust on his birth certificate piling up, Scott believes that Wilder should have gotten the job done against Zhang.
“Deontay Wilder’s 38, not 28 no more. We are on the second half of his career. He’s not a young man anymore. He’s a young, older man. You just don’t feel the same but he still had enough in him to beat Zhang.”
Read the full article here
