Eddie Hearn Acknowledges Deontay Wilder’s Decline After Stoppage Defeat to Zhilei Zhang
In the aftermath of Deontay Wilder’s recent stoppage defeat to Zhilei Zhang, Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn has recognized that the former heavyweight champion is no longer the formidable fighter he once was.
Hearn, who had previously expressed confidence in Wilder’s abilities, had even entrusted the former titleholder with Matchroom’s captaincy for their “5 vs 5” tournament, in which each of Hearn’s five fighters lost to their Queensberry rivals. Both Wilder and Zhang were coming off defeats by Joseph Parker before their contest in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but it was Zhang who ultimately emerged victorious, pushing the former champion back and brutally stopping him in the fifth round.
“[Wilder is] just not the same, in all honesty,” Hearn told Fight Hub TV. “I just feel his belief is not there anymore, and you’ve got to ask yourself, ‘Why?’ Is it just the time? Is something else not right? He is not letting his hands go, and that is what made him one of the most feared fighters in the world. He is not the fighter he was, at the moment. People come back, but it is deep in the road.”
Wilder, once renowned as one of the world’s most feared heavyweights, held the WBC title for five years and had previously stopped every opponent he had faced before his trilogy with Tyson Fury. While the former belt holder lacked technical ability, he made up for it with his devastating power, famously stating that his opponents had to be perfect for 36 minutes to win, as he only needed a second to stop them.
However, Hearn now believes that Wilder is no longer the same fighter who produced iconic knockouts of the likes of Luis Ortiz and Dominic Breazeale, suggesting that the fighter who once believed he only needed one perfect punch to win now lacks the belief to compete at the very top level.
The 38-year-old Wilder had previously stated that retirement was a realistic option if he were to lose against Zhang, and with four losses in his past five fights, it appears almost certain that he will retire following a highly entertaining career that helped revitalize the American heavyweight boxing scene and delivered the brutal knockouts that fans crave.
While Hearn believes Wilder may never have beaten the elite fighters in his era, he believes the former champion will still be remembered fondly by fans for his exciting style and his memorable trilogy with Tyson Fury.
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