Lennox Lewis Tells Wilder To Retire – ‘Leave With Your Faculties Intact’
Lennox Lewis has called on Deontay Wilder to retire from the sport following his loss to Zhilei Zhang.
The Bronze Bomber was knocked out in round five following devastating right hands from Zhang. Wilder found himself in trouble early on, getting backed up in the corner, as Zhang started on the front foot. During an exchange in the fifth round, Wilder threw a right hand only to be countered by Zhang’s right hook.
The punch buzzed Wilder as Zhang followed up with another right hand to send Wilder to the canvas. While the Bronze Bomber beat the count, the referee waived off the fight. It was Wilder’s second loss in a row and his fourth out of his last five fights. Wilder’s last win was a first-round KO win over Robert Helenius in 2022. The Bronze Bomber no longer looks like the same fighter who pushed Tyson Fury in those three fights. Lewis has now called on Wilder to walk away from boxing.
Lewis On Wilder
“The @BronzeBomber told us before the fight that he would retire if he didn’t win. I think that’s a wise decision. He’s more than carved out a life in which he can take care or his daughter so before he suffers any more damage, it’s best to leave the game with ur faculties intact because there’s a LOT more life to live after boxing,” Lewis said
Those comments are understandable since Wilder is not in the picture for a title shot. The Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk will rematch Fury on December 21. That will either be for undisputed or without the IBF belt. If Usyk is stripped of the IBF belt, then Daniel Dubois will be in the frame for it since he has the interim belt.
Wilder is also 38. He is no longer at the peak of his powers, meaning that any fights are unlikely to be for world titles. Does the Bronze Bomber want to continue fighting without any belts on offer? Wilder is also unlikely to box Anthony Joshua. They had a two-fight deal in place, but the fight was scrapped once Wilder lost to Joseph Parker.
Wilder’s Future
Another loss has now devalued that fight, with less demand. What was seen as a 50-50 fight in 2019 no longer appears competitive. He has also amassed a huge amount of money. The three Fury fights secured his generational wealth. The boxer entered the sport at a late stage because he needed to raise money for his daughter, who had spina bifida. Wilder has done that and amassed more, which is commendable.
Wilder’s training set-up is also not working. Since teaming up with Malik Scott, Wilder has regressed. He seems much more gun-shy, rather than being the explosive knockout artist who once was the most-feared puncher in the sport. If Wilder’s right hand is no longer the same, the boxer is now much more limited since his ring-craft is not on the same level as other elite boxers. That has left Wilder with plenty to consider.
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