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FEATURE: Time for Deontay Wilder to consider retirement
I watched the trilogy fight between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, and it was obvious from the fifth round that pride was the only reason keeping the American in the bout.
Wilder struggled to stand on his feet in most of the rounds during the epic fight despite having the chance to win the bout in the fourth round.
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It was obvious his legs were gone after that famous round four which nearly saw him earn a stoppage win but for the bell saving Fury.
Fury proved why he is the best heavyweight in the world by constantly dominating the fight despite starting slowly. And in most of the rounds, it was more of a punishment of Wilder than a contest.
After starting well and winning the first two rounds, Fury exploited Wilder’s problematic left ear and landed big shots there.
Fury took the shine from his fierce rival and made Wilder look ordinary despite possessing the most dangerous right hand in the sport’s recent history.
The American until his first fight with Fury was a monster and a beast in the ring who devoured opponents before him but a well composed Fury showed how to stop a one-sided fighter.
In all of their three fights, Wilder relied on his hard-hitting right hand but Fury managed to deal with that threat. Without that hand, Wilder looks ordinary.
Lack of stamina
For a fighter who has openly stated that it will be difficult for any opponent to deal with his right hand for 12 rounds, Fury must be praised for achieving that in at least their last two bouts.
Luis Ortiz, a Cuban heavyweight boxer, tried to deal with it in two fights but twice he was knocked out after dominating the bouts.
His style of relying on one big shot made him who he is but against a genius such as Fury, he is destined to loose to him any day.
It was evident that Fury had a stamina advantage over him and that really caused him throughout their last two fights.
Wilder looked tired after the first five rounds of their second and third fights and struggled to keep up with the pace of Fury who was roaring to go. Last Saturday’s fight was no exception.
It is very sad for a bright career such as Wilder’s to be ending on such a note but all champions lost at certain stages of their careers and he is no exception.
The almighty Mike “Iron” Tyson was destroyed by Evander Holyfield, Oscar de la Hoya lost to Floyd Mayweather and and Anthony Joshua recently lost his heavyweight titles to Oleksandr Usyk.
Losing shouldn’t be the end of a career but a fighter’s response to a defeat is very crucial. In Wilder’s case, I think it is over for him in the division.
Consider retirement
Inasmuch as I would love Wilder to stage a comeback, my question remains what the future holds for him and what the motivation is for him to continue?
I think there is no motivation for him to continue fighting because apart from Fury, I don’t see any of the heavyweights standing toe to toe with the American.
Anyone that tries that would be destroyed, and one of the reasons why he must call it quits. What is the need for a fight if there is no competition?
As it stands now, I believe with the millions of dollars made in the fistic sport, Wilder should consider retiring to save his health and especially his injured left ear.
Those two defeats by Fury marked the end of an era for him, and he must bow out of boxing with his head up high after all the glorious moments in his career that shook the entire world.
But should he decide to comeback, who are the possible opponents to face? Joshua has continuously showed that he is not interested in slugging it out with Wilder after the latter’s numerous calls for a fight failed to materialise.
The likes of Dilliian Whyte and Otto Wallin might be options but I don’t think they are opponents that Wilder would love to face.
However, we live to see what decision Wilder takes in the coming weeks.
