Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is facing calls for retirement after a string of losses.
The former long-reigning WBC champion has lost four of his last five fights, three of which came by knockout.
The 38-year-old’s streak of poor results began with a rematch with Tyson Fury in 2020. Since then, he’s lost again to “Gypsy King” Joseph Parker and most recently to Jiray Zhang. In between those losses was a first-round knockout win over Finnish heavyweight boxer Robert Helenius.
But what is most concerning to most is the way “The Bronze Bomber” has performed in his last two bouts. Once feared as the sport’s hardest puncher, the man now seems unwilling to let go of his main weapon: his right hand. His lack of skill to outbox his opponents has raised questions about whether he can still compete with the best in the division.
With no clear path back to heavyweight gold, Wilder has been offered a shocking world title fight against current WBC Bridgerweight champion Lawrence Okolie. The weight limit for the new division is 224 pounds, but Wilder is one of the few top heavyweights who could comfortably make the cut, having weighed just 214 pounds in his last bout with Chang. The champion said:
“If he wants to continue boxing, maybe it’s worth fighting the WBC Bridgerweight World Champion at Bridgerweight. It would be a great fight.”
People still want to see Wilder because it’s Wilder. Even though he got stopped like that, you can still see the power and the athleticism. I’d welcome that fight.”
However, his longtime manager Shelley Finkel responded to the offer, via World Boxing News, saying he has “no interest” in moving down a weight class.
“We appreciate the offer from Lawrence Okolie, but we are not interested in the WBC Bridgerweight title.”
Wilder has yet to comment on whether he will continue boxing or retire.