Deontay Wilder was never the same after his two losses to former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. He did bounce back with a 1st round knockout against Robert Helenius, but went on to lose back-to-back fights against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. Everyone had assumed that was the end for ‘The Bronze Bomber.’
However, the 39-year-old made a successful comeback last Friday night at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. The Bronze Bomber secured a dominant 7th-round knockout win to get back in the winning column against journeyman Tyrrell Herndon. But is he ready to fight someone like former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua?
Carl Froch, a retired former world champion himself, doesn’t seem to think so, as he explained the rationale behind his opinion that the former WBC heavyweight champion should hang up his gloves despite an impressive knockout win. “The Deontay Wilder fight, which is who we’re talking about, that’s a fight that people maybe get excited for, maybe say [Joshua]’s got a chance,” Froch brought up in the latest video on his YouTube channel.
The former world champion acknowledged that despite Joshua’s recent performances, he’s got a chance of winning against Deontay Wilder “because Wilder is finished.” However, he claimed that he is not interested in watching that fight, stating, “[Wilder’s] punching power seems to be gone, his legs seem to be gone as well when he gets clipped, he struggles and I just don’t see why these fighters need to carry on and destroy the legacy and ruin it.”
Bilder des Jahres 2019, Sport 11 November Sport Bilder des Tages November 22, 2019, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: WBC Heavyweight Champion DEONTAY THE BRONZE BOMBER WILDER 219 lbs and Cuban slugger Luis King Kong Ortiz 236 lbs final press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz at the MGM Grand. Boxing 2019: Wilder vs Ortiz: Weighin – ZUMAb35_ 20191122_sha_b35_279 Copyright: xLarryxBurtonx
Froch shares this opinion about Joshua as well, who was badly defeated by IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois late last year, resulting in Joshua’s loss. “I just don’t think these both fighters should be fighting anymore,” he continued. However, focusing on Wilder, Froch shared that he doesn’t really know what Wilder would do next, but hoped, “Wilder, he can bow out on a win and sail off into the sunset.”
Regardless, just last month, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, had claimed a fight between Wilder and Joshua would be possible if Wilder could win the Herndon fight. With Wilder’s latest win, he has completed his side of the obligations. But it’s yet to be seen whether the two rivals ever meet in the ring. Nonetheless, not everyone shares Froach’s view on Deontay Wilder’s future.
Deontay Wilder asked to chase the Anthony Joshua fight
Unlike Froch, this former three-weight world champion is asking Wilder to get the Joshua fight ASAP. Duke McKenzie believes the heavyweight rivals have no better option. “If either want to make any type of assault onto the world stage again and fight for a title, this has to be the final eliminator for the pair of them,” McKenzie told talkSPORT.
FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN DUTCH GRAND PRIX 2023 / 24.08.2023, Circuit Park Zandvoort, Zandvoort, FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN DUTCH GRAND PRIX 2023 , im Bild Der ehemalige Weltmeister im Schwergewicht Anthony Joshua GBR *** FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN DUTCH GRAND PRIX 2023 24 08 2023, Circuit Park Zandvoort, Zandvoort, FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN DUTCH GRAND PRIX 2023 , in the picture The former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua GBR nordphotoxGmbHx/xBratic nph00250
“Reputations on the line, for Joshua and Wilder, those two surely have to clash in their very next fight,” he added. A fight between the pair was nearly finalized in late 2023, but it collapsed after Wilder’s unexpected loss to Parker. It’s also worth noting that a fight against Tyson Fury has also created some momentum for Joshua, but ‘The Gypsy King’ refuses to come out of retirement.
And McKenzie believes it’s not time yet for Joshua to face Fury. “Joshua hasn’t got time to hang around… Let’s just say he goes out there and blows Wilder out of the water, then he can call out Tyson Fury.”
That being said, it’s unlikely that Deontay Wilder would listen to Carl Froch’s warning and put an end to his career. While a Joshua-Wilder fight hasn’t been confirmed, all signs point to its possibility. Do you think Wilder should call it quits? And if he doesn’t, can Wilder beat Joshua?
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