Will Deontay Wilder retire from boxing after his crushing, sad to see KO defeat at the hands of Zhilei Zhang? A better question, perhaps, is should Wilder retire? Two very poor showings back-to-back, one that led to a heck of a nasty KO defeat. It sure looks like it’s time for Wilder to go. Not only has it now appeared, twice in a row, that Wilder’s once withering power is no more, it has also looked as though Wilder’s punch resistance has gone, along with his sense of self-belief.
Wilder said himself going into the Zhang fight that it was all on the line, that it was do or die, with Wilder saying he would call it quits if he lost. Now, however, we are hearing some perhaps worrying and concerning talk from someone who is close to Wilder, a person one would expect to have nothing but Wilder’s utter well-being at the front of his mind. Deontay’s father Gary, who spoke with USA Today, has put the blame at the feet of trainer Malik Scott, and Wilder Sr says he feels his son has “got several good years left.”
Years, mind you, not fights. It’s likely almost nobody will agree with Wilder’s father. But Gary Wilder says “it’s not too late for [Deontay.]”
“You need somebody you’re going to respect,” Gary told USA Today Sports. “You don’t need a buddy to train you. It’s not too late for [Deontay]. I believe he [has] got several good years left. Deontay’s always been a slugger. Now Malik’s trying to train him to be a boxer, and if you look at it, you’ll see that Deonaty is not comfortable where he’s at. As long as he tries to be a boxer he’s not going to win. That’s the bottom line.”
In all honesty, after seeing how poor, how faded Wilder looked against Parker and then Zhang, it would not matter who took over training duties – that’s if Wilder does carry on and parts ways with Scott. Also in all honesty, who wants to see Wilder risk his health by fighting again? At age 38, there seems just about no way Wilder can come again, even if his father seems to feel Deontay can go back to being a slugger and win fights that way.
Again, one would think a father would know what’s best for their son. But is this the case here?
What do You say – Wilder to retire or Wilder to part ways with Scott and try and come again?
