Deontay Wilder Rules Out Retirement…Linked With Fighting Anthony Joshua

• Deontay Wilder has no plans to retire from boxing, says his trainer Malik Scott
• Bronze Bomber was knocked out for a second time by Tyson Fury on Saturday
• There have been calls for Wilder to hang up his gloves after successive defeats
• The American will now assess his next move in the heavyweight picture 

Deontay Wilder has no plans to retire from boxing despite suffering back-to-back defeats by Tyson Fury his trainer Malik Scott has insisted.

Wilder was stopped in the 11th round of a brutal fight in Las Vegas on Saturday as Fury retained the WBC heavyweight title he had stripped the Bronze Bomber of in February 2020.

Fury floored the Alabama fighter in the third and 10th round, before referee Russell Mora intervened to stop the fight in the penultimate round, leaving many to question Wilder’s future in the sport.

But while it’s now two defeats on the bounce for Wilder, retirement doesn’t seem to be on the agenda just yet.

Deontay has set his family financially secure so he doesn’t have to fight to make a living’

‘But retiring is not in his plans at all and not something we’ve discussed.’

Wilder has won 42 of his 45 fights, with both defeats and the draw on his record all coming against Fury.

While it is another damning defeat at the hands of the Gypsy King, Wilder was able to floor the Brit twice in the fourth round before Fury rallied to turn the tables on his rival later in the fight.

Wilder was stopped by Tyson Fury (left) in the 11th round of a brutal fight in Las Vegas

Wilder’s trainer Scott (pictured) insists there have been no thoughts about retiring just yet

Evidence of his heart and spirit in the Las Vegas blockbuster proves that Wilder deserves to have more high-level fights and be involved in main events, according to Scott. 

‘He will be back in any form he wants to be,’ said Scott. ‘He’s a big-time fighter and he doesn’t belong down there with the other guys, he needs to be in high-level fights and main events. 

‘Deontay was great on Saturday, but Fury was even greater — it was a great night of boxing for the heavyweight division,’ he added.

‘You have to give Fury credit for having a good chin and getting up. Fury is a legend, one of the best in the heavyweight division in any era, and it’s the same about Deontay.’ 

During Wilder and Fury’s second encounter, one member of the American’s corner threw in the towel in the seventh round, bringing an end to his undefeated streak – a decision that lost the trainer his job. 

Wilder, 35, was sent crashing to the canvas on three separate occasions during his title fight

But while Wilder went out on his shield on Saturday, Scott, 40, insists there was no moment that he considered ending the contest.

‘Over the years of me knowing Deontay, he has always said throwing the towel in with a knockout artist like him wouldn’t be tolerated,’ added Scott.

‘It’s something I respected. The last knockdown was the worst knockdown and the ref called it off.

‘Deontay and Mark never had a relationship outside the gym, they never talked for more than five minutes on a phone call. Me and Deontay would never fall out and not speak again – our bond is too tight.’

While Wilder’s camp are adamant that there are no plans to retire, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has claimed that the American should really consider hanging up his gloves.

Hearn said it was not ‘not normal’ for Wilder to be exhausted in the early rounds of his fight with Fury, and has warned it will be difficult for him to continue fighting at the top level because his ‘legs were gone’ by the third round. 

He told iFL TV: ‘His legs were gone after three rounds. It was only his heart and his power that kept him in the fight.

Eddie Hearn has warned it will be difficult for Wilder to continue fighting at the top level

‘Obviously, Fury caught him with a great shot and went down twice. The second one was nothing knockdown, but Fury was still all over the place.’

Hearn added: ‘But Wilder could not stand up, he was exhausted after three rounds, and that’s NOT normal. Some heavyweights have good tanks.

‘Fury’s tank is exceptional, but you can’t just say, “That’s how he is.” You can’t have a championship fight at any kind of pace if you can’t stand up after three rounds.’

Up next for Fury will most likely be fellow Brit Dillian Whyte, who was confirmed as the mandatory challenger to the WBC-belt holder last week, while the win pushed him closer to an undisputed showdown against either Anthony Joshua or his recent conqueror Oleksandr Usyk.

However, for Wilder, he will likely have to wait for the loser of Joshua and Usyk’s rematch, while a heavyweight clash with fellow American Andy Ruiz Jr is also on the cards.

British fans will be desperate to see Joshua regain the WBA, WBO and IBF straps from Usyk in their rematch to set up undisputed title fight with Fury in the future, but should he fail, a match-up with Wilder will be another highly-anticipated heavyweight bout every boxing fan will be pining to see.