Professional heavyweight boxer Deontay Wilder is a huge name in the noble art, despite losing his last two bouts by knockout. The all-action pugilist from Alabama boasts one of the most ferocious KO averages in boxing history, dwarfing the efforts of famous bangers like Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jnr. Wilder ranks amongst the top pound for pound fighters on the planet, but does he have a future in the sport?
Having lost his WBC world heavyweight championship belt to English opponent Tyson Fury, there haven’t been too many good news stories coming out of the Bronze Bomber’s camp in recent weeks. That has left fans fearing the worst, believing the American could be about to pack up and retire despite still being in the prime of his boxing career. Have we seen the last of Deontay, or does he have one final push left in the tank?
The top gambling apps, from the bookies of Las Vegas to the Alabama sports betting sites, offer odds on what’s next for Wilder. Will he retire or fight again? Who could he face when he does eventually return to the ring? Will Wilder get his hands back on the world championship belt by the end of this year? You can make your predictions at an online bookie that is legal and licensed in your region.
In this article, we aim to shine some light on the situation. Our team of boxing writers investigate the latest goings-on with Wilder and predict what his next move should be. By the end of this page, you’ll have a better understanding of Deontay’s plans and will be in a position to make a prediction on if and when he will fight again.
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Fury spoils the show
Wilder had it all in the later stages of 2019. He was the recognised WBC world champion with a proud unbeaten record. He held the sport’s best-loved belt as well as an earth-shattering knockout average in the high 90s. No matter what happens between now and the official end of his career, Wilder will take his place in the boxing history books as a champion with freakish power, a man that KO’d every opponent he faced.
That was all true until running into Britain’s Fury. The towering Englishman was a former world champion, having ended the long-running rule of Wladimir Klitschko, beating him in Germany, no less. Having struggled with issues outside of the sport, including alcohol, drugs, depression and obesity, Tyson finally returned to the ring.
He had a couple of warm-up bouts before challenging Wilder. The first fight was a draw in 2018 before Fury scored back to back KO victories in fights two and three of the famous trilogy. Fury now holds the WBC belt and is unlikely to defend it against Wilder.
AJ looks the smart option
Wilder has gone quiet since that latest defeat to Fury – which came in Las Vegas last October. In round 11 that night, the American was stopped after being dropped to the canvas in rounds three, ten and eleven, while Tyson was downed twice in round four as the bout swung back and forth at the T-Mobile Arena.
Those losses moved Deontay’s professional boxing record to 42 wins against two defeats and one draw, with 41 wins coming by way of knockout and two defeats inside the distance. He is currently ranked number four in the world, behind Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua. But that leaves him in a tricky situation without an obvious route out and back to title level.
He won’t fight Fury again as there’s no interest in that bout after the Englishman stopped him twice. Usyk holds all the belts not owned by Fury, and we could see the pair face off later this year in a unification bout that fight fans are crying out for. That leaves only one man ahead of him in the pecking order, Joshua.
The Englishman lost his titles to Usyk in his last fight, and there appears to be no obvious push for the rematch from either camp. In an ideal world, we would see Fury and Usyk meet in a decider, with Wilder and Joshua clashing for a chance to face the winner.
