Deontay Wilder has promised to ditch his laid-back persona when he returns to the ring on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
Wilder lost his knockout edge when he embarked on a feel-good journey involving the psychoactive substance ayahuasca. The problem for Wilder was he should have done it after his career was over. The “Bronze Bomber” eventually suffered only the third defeat of his career against Joseph Parker over fourteen months after his last fight.
Handed a second chance by Saudi Arabian Chairman Turki Alalshikh for the summer against Zhilei Zhang, Wilder has started sparring alongside fighters, including former opponent Eric Molina.
After one session, in which he admitted feeling pain but loved that sensation again, Wilder warned the heavyweight division: “No more Mr. Nice Guy’ about his previous journey.
The Alabama puncher knows his career hangs in the balance due to the nature of his defeat to Parker and his damaging inactivity. However, there’s a significant light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a massive clash with Anthony Joshua at Wembley this fall.
Alalshikh wants to put together the long-lost battle that has taken six years to get to the point of completion. They had a chance in 2023, but Wilder’s loss ended any March 8 Joshua encounter, which eventually went to former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
The plan to have warm-up fights was dumbfounding when fans had already waited five years for the fight by the time the agreement was in place. With another year elapsed, Wilder’s capabilities of gaining a victory won’t be the same, even before he attempts to defeat the Chinese juggernaut Zhang in five weeks.
Joshua vs. Wilder will be another case of Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao if it ever goes ahead, with the 2018 window – which saw significant talks over several weeks, the prime time to get the event over the line.
Joshua and Wilder moved on to face Alexander Povetkin and Tyson Fury when talks collapsed that summer. Both men performed outstandingly, which led many to believe would have resulted in one of the most exciting heavyweight fights of modern times.
Instead, that honor went to Wilder and Fury, as Joshua missed out on a significant portion of his legacy.
Wilder has to do all he can to resurrect the fight on June 1, with Zhang ripe for the pickings after losing to boogeyman Parker. Fans need the old Deontay Wilder back, even for just one moment.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
