‘Fragile’ Deontay Wilder Warned Ahead of ’50-50′ Fight That Could End His Career

Deontay Wilder needs to prove his mettle this time around. The hard-hitting Alabama native, who once rose as a threatening name to today’s world champions stands at the knell of his boxing career. His next fight is his only chance to overturn this dip in his record. Peter Fury, a boxing coach and Tyson Fury’s uncle, while being in awe of him as a fighter has outlined how there is a possibility that the former WBC heavyweight champion could even lose that fight. Why?

On June 1st, for the 5 vs 5 tournament, in a striking move, Wilder joins Eddie Hearn’s team as he competes against Chinese boxer, Zhilei Zhang. Both the fighters undertake the matchup to flip the slump their record finds itself in today. It remains to see who will survive the crucial night. In his expectations from the fight, Peter Fury jotted down a few things that could go wrong or work for ‘The Bronze Bomber’.

Deontay Wilder vs Zhilei Zhang: What to Expect?

The last fight both Wilder and Zhang undertook was against Joseph Parker. While Wilder was seen as the favourite of that fight, he lost to the Kiwi fighter. Zhang saw the same fate against Parker, a fight that was completely dominated by the latter. Based on this premise, most boxing aficionados believe the clash between Wilder and Zhang is as leveled as it could get. So does Peter Fury.

To iFL TV, the veteran trainer noted, “He (Wilder) will wait for Zhang to throw and miss and he’ll try and get Zhang later on. Or Zhang could come in and make a mistake and get caught. Wilder can punch and he’s got that mean streak, but Wilder could get cleaned out as well.”

Fury, then added, “You know, it’s… Wilder can bang but he’s fragile. So, I don’t wanna say fragile but he obviously, you know, he’s a good fighter. But it’s a tough fight, could go either way. It’s a 50-50.”

In all probability, it is quite hard to determine the favorite for this fight. Both Wilder and Zhang stand at a point in their career where it is hard to say if they’re past their prime. Were the last few losses of their career a temporary fall or a warning sign hinting toward their concluding days in the sport? While these questions become a premise for their clash, Wilder remains certain of his win.

Bronze Bomber Chases His Glory Again

With a knockout ratio of 97%, the 38-year-old is a bonafide knockout machine. However, his last fights lacked that knack. Now, he hopes to reinvigorate that specialty of his. To Sky Sports, he revealed, “I’m expecting his A-plus game. I like Zhang. I like him as a fighter and what he presents inside the ring.”

“Especially for the first half of a fight, he seems like a true killer and somebody who is going to come and has nice technique and movement. Eventually he burns out and that might be the end of him dealing with a fighter like me. I can go. I like him, I like the fight, I love that he’s a hard hitter, I am as well. And may the best man win,” he explained.

Do you think Deontay Wilder would be able to propel his career out of the slump? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.