Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has lost four of his last five fights, leading to speculation over his future in boxing.
After two defeats at the hands of Tyson Fury, Wilder bounced back in October 2022 by knocking out Robert Helenius.
But he has since been beaten by Joseph Parker and, most recently, Zhilei Zhang.
However, despite those losses, 39-year-old Wilder has no intention of hanging up his gloves any time soon and he has decided to fight on, according to trainer Malik Scott.
“He definitely wants to fight again, for sure,’ Scott – who married British sports broadcaster Kate Abdo earlier this year – told BoxingScene. “Some good things should be coming up in 2025.
“For now, Deontay has just been resting and focusing on family and his businesses.
“When you are in the second half of your career and in high-level fights against bigger guys, rest is just as important as ripping and running.”
Wilder – who previously held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020 – lost his last fight via knockout to Zhang.
“I don’t know, he just couldn’t pull the trigger,” Scott said of the Zhang fight. “At the end of the day, he’s human. He went in there and tried his best and lived to fight another day.
“Sometimes the actual opponents are the problem. People don’t like to say that. They’d rather say everything Deontay or I didn’t do. That takes away the credit from the opponent and their trainers and what they bring to the table.
“Was Deontay supposed to win those fights? Absolutely. But this is heavyweight boxing and things happen. That’s boxing. That’s life.
Sometimes things don’t go according to plan and you have to give credit to the opponent and come back better and stronger.”
Scott named Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz Jnr and Jarrell Miller as ideal opponents for Wilder’s next fight.
A fight between Wilder and Joshua has been discussed for years and Scott admitted that it ‘may not be as juicy as it once was when they were both undefeated but it’s still a juicy fight.’
Joshua won the first 22 fights of his professional career but he has since lost four of his last 10, including September’s fifth-round knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois.
Both Wilder and Joshua have faced calls to retire from some fans, but Scott had a clear message for those critics.
“Just shut up and enjoy the show,” said Scott – who has worked as Wilder’s main trainer since 2021. “If you really want them to retire, don’t tune in when they fight. Don’t pay your hard-earned money and go to the fight.
“It’s just the hypocrisy of boxing fans, I guess you can say. I understand all aspects of it. I understand the fans, fighters, managers and promoters. We all have a perspective, but be respectful of the fighters.”
