Retired boxer Mike Tyson has advised Deontey Wilder to get his house in order if he wants to win in the trilogy against Tyson Fury.
Wilder was handed a first loss of his career when he faced Fury in February – a bout which ended with a knockout.
The American immediately triggered his rematch clause and both fighters will face each other again later this year.
Tyson believes Wilder must grow up and stop feeling sorry for himself if he is to emerge victorious in the trilogy.
“[Wilder] feels like giving up: ‘Oh, my life is over. I’ve made $90million dollars. My life is over. Oh God, I want to die.’ Grow up,” he said on an Instagram Live interaction with rapper Fat Joe.
“Keep going through it until it’s really over. Wilder can still make a lot of money. He shouldn’t feel sad or discouraged. And he should continue to go out there and fight with a lot of zest and confidence.“
Iron Mike believes Wilder’s was full of confidence and give his all during his first fight against Fury.
However, he said, the former WBC champions did not look himself and failed to rise to the occasion with he met the Brit for the second time, culminating in his sack.
“The first fight, [Wilder] fought with confidence like he could win. In this fight, he fought like he didn’t have no zest, no life in him. I don’t think he was the same fighter after the first fight,” Tyson opined.
“After the first fight, [Wilder] couldn’t rise to the occasion again. Something went wrong with Wilder during the second fight with Fury, and he never did adjust.
“If Wilder can’t fix the mistakes he made in his rematch with Fury, then he’s not going to last long in the third fight,” he added.