Deontay Wilder's future in boxing has got two former champions worried. Carl Froch and Tony Bellew are urging the ex-heavyweight champ to hang up his gloves.
Froch and Bellew know a thing or two about leaving the sport at the right time. Froch bowed out with a knockout of George Groves at Wembley Stadium. Bellew called it quits after Oleksandr Usyk stopped him, following two wins over David Haye. Now, both work as commentators and analysts.
At 39, Wilder's career has taken a turn. He once had an impressive record of 40 fights, 39 wins, and 39 knockouts. But recent years haven't been kind. He lost twice to Tyson Fury and suffered defeats against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang. A quick win over Robert Helenius and a comeback victory against Tyrrell Herndon haven't been enough to silence the retirement talk.
After Wilder's stoppage loss to Zhang, Bellew took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts:
"I wish Deontay Wilder well and hope he now thinks about his wealth and ultimately his health … He's done. Resistance and hunger are both gone."
Froch echoed these sentiments on his YouTube channel following Wilder's comeback win against Tyrrell Herndon:
"I don't like telling people to retire, I like to give my opinion on when these fighters are done. I think Deontay Wilder has had better days and now if he fights anybody with a pulse who can punch, he could be hurt."
Froch pointed out that Wilder has lost four of his last six fights. He believes the trilogy with Fury took a toll on the American. Despite making a lot of money in his career, Froch worries about Wilder's health if he continues to fight.
But Wilder's not ready to call it quits just yet. He plans to fight again in 2024 and has his sights set on a big opponent, possibly Anthony Joshua, in 2026.
Interestingly, while both Froch and Bellew agree on Wilder's situation, they differ when it comes to Joshua. Froch thinks AJ should retire, but Bellew wants to see him fight on.
As the debate continues, all eyes will be on Wilder's next move. Will he heed the advice of his fellow fighters, or will he step back into the ring for one more shot at glory?
