Deontay Wilder is set to ignore pleas to retire and still has his eyes on huge-name fights.
Wilder has suffered a huge decline in the past year, losing to Joseph Parker in December, before being stopped by Zhilei Zhang in devastating fashion in June.
The defeats were met with widespread calls for the ‘Bronze Bomber’ to call time on his stellar career, given he now faces a long way back to reach the world title mix.
But Malik Scott, Wilder’s trainer, believes he still has a bright future in the sport despite the doubts.
“Zhang is a very big, dangerous southpaw. Deontay got caught with a shot that put him in an unbalanced position, and Zhang did his job,” Scott told Genting Casino.
“Deontay has the heart of a lion and is willing to go out on his shield in the ring. He’ll be back. Deontay will fight again.
“He still has a bright future in boxing, especially at the high level. Losses happen in boxing, even to the greatest fighters.
“He just had a great vacation with his kids. Life is good for him. The same type of people who want Deontay to retire told Muhammad Ali not to fight George Foreman.
“They said George Foreman shouldn’t have fought Michael Moorer. These naysayers are part of the sport, and we need them.
“They provide the energy that keeps the fighters motivated and pushes managers and promoters. In my opinion, they’re wrong eight out of ten times, but it’s all part of the game.”
Some huge name fights had been on the table prior to his defeats including finally settling his rivalry with Anthony Joshua.
The pair were on course to meet this year when his defeat to Parker derailed the signed agreement, and then it was dead and buried when he lost to Zhang.
Wilder had also held talks with former UFC champion Ngannou, who stepped in the ring twice in defeats to Tyson Fury and in March Joshua.
And Scott believes these are fights that can still be revived despite his bleak form in the squared circle.
He continued: “Everyone you just mentioned has always been in some form of negotiation to fight Deontay.
“These fights have always been in the mix, but they just never materialised. It’s a blessing that you can take two losses, but your name and reputation are still so big that you’re mentioned at the highest level.
“Deontay’s still in the realm of big fights, still in a position to make a lot of money and history. He’s very blessed. Ngannou’s focus is on his PFL fight with Ferreira right now, and that’s a big, imposing fight.
“We’ll see how he handles that, and then we’ll see how Deontay’s feeling when he gets back into training camp. But all those fights are realistic, especially with the Saudi’s investment in boxing.
“All heavyweight match-ups now are competitive. Deontay’s always been about making sure he’s compensated for the risks he takes in the ring.
“If he’s fighting, he needs to be paid big. As for the biggest fight, it could be against Ngannou or AJ. They are still mega fights. AJ Maybe doesn’t have the same juice it once did, but it would still sell out any arena or stadium.
“Just seeing those two in the ring would be a joy for the fans. If Ngannou keeps doing what he’s doing and still wants that fight, it could be huge as well.
“I’m proud of Deontay. He’s still in a position to make these big fights happen.”
