The End of Era: Is this the end of Deontay Wilder?

 Written by: Danny Albers

Tyson Fury hasn’t been the same since he lost to Tyson Fury in their second bout a month before the COVID-19 Pandemic happened in February 2020. Coming into that second installment of the rivalry with the British Heavy, Wilder was 42-0-1. He didn’t manage Wilder’s size and unorthodox style well, and found himself getting finished in the 7th. A year and a half later, in October of 2021, Wilder would defeat Fury again by TKO this time in the 11th round of a 12 round fight. Wilder came out of those two fights failing to capture The Ring Heavyweight Title and losing his WBC Heavyweight Title. However, a year later Wilder would resurface with an electric first round KO of Robert Helenius. This would cause boxing fans to think the heavyweight had one final run in him. Wilder would wait 14 months before flying out to Saudi Arabia to challenge for the WBO Intercontinental and the vacant WBC International Heavyweight Titles against Joseph Parker. Wilder was the heavy favorite, but for the first time in his career, Wilder looked lost in a boxing ring. He would lose by unanimous decision. Earlier this month, Wilder would appear once again in Saudi Arabia to see if he still had what it takes to be a champion, and he would come to the harsh reality of how far away from title contention he is when 41 year old Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang knocked him out in the 5th round of a 12-round main event. 

The stats are telling. Wilder was the more active fighter, throwing 95 punches and only landing 16. That’s only 17% of his punches. Zhang connected on 45% of his punches going 33-73. Zhang threw punches with a lot more power looking for the big punch that would end the night. Wilder was cautious of that power, with the majority of his punches being jabs while he kept a distance. Despite the question of if Wilder is finished with his boxing career, this is the biggest win of Zhang’s career. This was a rebound victory after losing to Joseph Parker. This fight was a make or break for both fighters, and Zhang seems to have breathed life into his title hopes, as slim as they may be. Top rank heavyweight Martin Bakole called out the Chinese veteran, saying he’d “smash” him. Bakole is 10 years his junior. As for Wilder, it looks as though he might be done. In a comment given to USAToday earlier this week, Wilder's mother Deborah encouraged him to retire. “I texted him and said, 'Son, we're having a party for you'.” Deontay Wilder's mother stated in the interview encouraging her son to retire from boxing. “'You gave us the best boxing in the USA when boxing was dead. Wilder’s career has been excellent given where he began, from working at UPS to becoming a champion in a stacked Heavyweight division. His knock down of Tyson Fury is one of the most iconic moments in modern day boxing. If this is the last time that we see Fury in the boxing ring, it’s been a pleasure to watching one of the most intimidating and devastating heavyweights of all time.