Deontay Wilder will fight on BLK Prime in April against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, will reveal the opponent in Los Angeles on Saturday.
For BLK Prime to get their money’s worth, Wilder must fight someone the fans are interested in seeing. He’s looked hellishly bad in his last two fights, losing to Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker.
April Comeback
There’s been talk of Francis Ngannou potentially fighting Wilder. If that’s the opponent, some people would like to see the match because Ngannou gave Tyson Fury a lot of problems. This was an out-of-shape Fury.
The former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) is coming off a fifth-round knockout loss to Zhilei Zhang on June 1 in Riyadh. This was the 39-year-old Deontay’s fourth loss in his last five fights since 2020.
The shots that Zhang hit Wilder with were much harder than the slapping ones that Tyson Fury had in his three fights with him.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ hasn’t looked like the same fighter he once was since getting knocked out by Tyson Fury in the seventh round of their rematch on February 22, 2020.
“I’m told @BronzeBomber will return for a comeback fight in April on BLK Prime. Wilder and manager Shelley Finkel will meet with the media in Los Angeles on Saturday to announce the opponent,” said Manouk Akopyan on X, talking about Deontay Wilder’s next fight.
Fans would like to see Deontay fight with the same ruthless aggression that he had during his best years, but that doesn’t seem likely to happen. He’s nearing 40, super wealthy with a net worth estimated at $40 million, and can’t pull the trigger on his punches any longer.
It’s not that he can’t. He just seems scared to throw for fear of being encountered. That’s how Fury hurt Wilder, and he seems like he’s having a hard time forgetting that terrible experience.
Wilder has won just one fight in the last five years, beating his former sparring partner Robert Helenius by a first-round knockout in 2022.
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