It’s been sometime since the boxing world heard about Deontay Wilder. ‘The Bronze Bomber’ had been away from the ring since the shocking loss to Zhilei Zhang on the Queensberry versus Matchroom ‘5 v 5’ card. This was a consecutive setback for Wilder, who suffered his third career defeat to Joseph Parker last December.

The unexpected outcome of the Zhang fight sparked widespread concerns about his future in boxing. Now rumors of a potential matchup against Francis Ngannou have emerged. Speaking about the possibilities, Deontay Wilder shed some light on the injury that afflicted him in the month leading up to the Joseph Parker fight.

Deontay Wilder: An unseen presence over the months

During his conversations with TMZ, Deontay Wilder shared that he was open to discussing and potentially arranging a match with ‘The Predator’, thereby bringing the possibility of the highly anticipated fight closer to reality.

He revealed that he had been on a recovery path as he learned about his shoulder’s condition. “I had two tears on my shoulder. I could feel the pain, but I just thought it was old injuries. But I got an MRI, and everything was f***ed up there,” said Wilder.

Wilder mentioned that his arm had broken in November. So that must have been before his fight against Joseph Parker. However, given his ability to withstand high levels of pain, he could never make out that a problem existed. “I didn’t know because I’ve got a high tolerance of pain,” said the former world champion.

Now this might come as a surprise to some fans and followers, especially those who began to feel that Wilder was nearing the tail end of his career. Many believe the brutal trilogy of fights against Tyson Fury took a heavy toll on ‘The Bronze Bomber’.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ and the next chapter in boxing

Just a few days ago, longtime rival Tyson Fury suggested that ‘The Bronze Bomber’ should seriously consider retiring from boxing. Speaking on the ‘Pound for Pound’ podcast, he said, “Being truthful, I’d like to see poor old Deonte retire from boxing.” According to Fury, the three fights exacted a heavy price from both of them.

“That takes a lot—a lot of it out of your tank—and you don’t recover from fights like that between me and Wilder. It takes a lot out of a fighter, and even when he’s come back,” added ‘The Gypsy King’.

Nevertheless, Deontay Wilder’s longtime trainer Malik Scott assuaged those apprehensions a few months ago. Citing a few examples from boxing history, Scott shared that Deontay Wilder still has years left in the sport. “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,” said the former heavyweight contender during an interview.

On his part, Deontay Wilder explained that ‘the best was yet to come’. Die-hard fans should take heart.

Given the trouble he gave Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder can be confident of delivering a better performance against Francis Ngannou, provided the fights make it through negotiations. If that happens, then he can look forward to rejoining the hunt for a championship title.

What’s your take? Besides Francis Ngannou, do you think Deontay Wilder should start talks with Anthony Joshua as well?