Deontay Wilder says he’s got to get his killer instinct back that he once had following his timid, lackluster performance in his one-sided loss to fringe heavyweight contender Joseph Parker on the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Saudi Arabia.
Fans believe that the 38-year-old Wilder is finished physically & mentally and needs to hang up his gloves after his loss against the former WBO heavyweight champion Parker (34-3, 23 KOs).
Wilder made Parker look like a world-beater instead of the average fighter, whose level was shown in his losses to Dillian Whyte and Joe Joyce.
The former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) revealed in an interview this week that he’s not retiring, and he’ll be coming back from the loss.
Reclaiming his killer instinct
“I’ve got to get my killer instinct back,” said Deontay Wilder to 78sportstv.
It’s going to be difficult for Wilder to get back the aggression he once had unless he gives his trainer Malik Scott, the boot and hires a new coach that can help rebuild him. As the saying goes, ‘Junk in, junk out.’
If Wilder is being trained by a guy who doesn’t have a clue, how can he regain his lost aggression?
Wilder circled the ring all night against Parker, following his trainer Malik’s game plan, and there were no adjustments in the fight from him. In an interview after the fight, Malik seemed to be unable to grasp that his game plan for Wilder was useless and doomed for failure from the start.
Wilder needs a knockout
“No, but he needs to get back in the win column, and he needs a knockout, and he needs to look very good,” said Gareth A. Davies to Pro Boxing Fans when asked if Deontay Wilder is being ruled out as a potential opponent for Anthony Joshua in 2024.
An easy mark required
When Wilder does return, he needs a soft touch like Otto Wallin, a fighter who has no hand speed, defense, or power that he can line up for an easy one-punch knockout.
Wallin made Anthony Joshua look like the prime version of himself last Saturday, and you could tell that AJ’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, had done his homework well in picking him.
If Joshua had fought Parker last Saturday, he probably would have fallen apart and lost the fight because he wouldn’t have stood up to the shots that he was landing on Wilder’s chin.
Parker’s stellar performance
“The game plan, the skills, the calculated cool, composed Joseph Parker won that fight,” said Gareth. “He looks fantastic, and he feels fantastic. It was a brilliant performance. He’s feeling it on the back of his head. I think he might have taken a couple of blows when they were tied up.
“They completely and utterly nullified the right hand of Deontay Wilder and landed that big overhand right himself loads of times,” said Gareth about Parker.
What nullified Wilder’s right hand wasn’t Parker’s game plan. It was the brainless one that Deontay was given by his trainer, Malik Scott.
Having Wilder move around the ring for three minutes of every round for the entire fight made it impossible for him to land his right hand, given that he was in constant motion, tiring out his weak legs. It was a dumb game plan that would have led to any fighter losing to Parker on the night.
“He started to embrace a war in the last round for a minute, and then he got caught, I think and thought a bit better of it. But what a great star he’s been out here [Saudi Arabia],” said Gareth.
“As they throw bits up in the super league on the chess board, he [Parker] could fight Agit Kabayel; Andy Ruiz is coming back in the frame. He’s been out here. There are so many great fights that can be made. Parker could fight Joshua again. Parker could fight Usyk. There’s all these fights that could happen.”
Interestingly, Gareth doesn’t mention Zhilei Zhang as an option for Parker to face. Why isn’t he? How about a rematch with Joe Joyce for Parker? Joyce is an obvious fight for Parker, considering how he beat the living daylights out of him last year, leaving Joseph on the canvas in a heap in the 11th round.
Deontay’s uncertain path
“I think Wilder needs to get in the win column. He kind of said he’s not retiring,” said Gareth. “He ruled that out immediately, but he also said in another interview, ‘If I do retire now, then I’ve had a great career.’ I think he’ll have two or three more fights. His wife told me last night, ‘I’m happy for him to fight until 40, but that’s it.’ I think he’s 39 next year.”
Two or three fights sounds like a limited plan for Wilder, especially if he’s going to fight until he’d 40. If Wilder is smart, he’ll fight three to four times in 2024, starting with an easy one against Otto Wallin, and then go from there to a rematch with Parker and then top it off with a fight against Joshua.
“Listen, you can’t take anything away from what Joseph Parker did. Wilder boxed one round in the ring in a competitive fight in 26 months since going eleven rounds with Tyson Fury in a brutal, bruising heavyweight fight. So, I think he had ring rust. It might be a little weather-worn now.
“As I said, he’s 39 next year. He’s not a big heavyweight. He’s all about explosive power. He’s not a technician, and he couldn’t find his way into the fight,” said Gareth.
