Deontay Wilder's own mother tells him to retire after Zhilei Zhang knockout loss
Deontay Wilder's mother has urged the the former world heavyweight champion to hang up his gloves after he suffered a fifth-round knockout in his last bout.
Deontay Wilder's mother has revealed that she has encouraged the ex-world heavyweight champion to retire after his loss to Zhilei Zhang. The former WBC title holder met with a devastating defeat in the fifth round against the Chinese boxer - another disappointing setback in recent years.
Fondly known as "the Bronze Bomber", Wilder's ascent from Olympic fame to worldwide recognition saw him break an eight-year dry spell for America when he claimed the world heavyweight championship in 2015. He maintained the prestigious WBC title for half a decade, successfully defending it ten times.
Nonetheless, Wilder's unscathed record in the ring came to a disheartening end following consecutive losses to Tyson Fury in their legendary trilogy of fights. Following these hits, he also fell short in a match against Joseph Parker last year and most recently to Zhang, resulting in only a single victory in the past five bouts.
The question now looms whether the 38 year old will decide to hang up his gloves sooner rather than later and reports have surfaced indicating that his own mother has urged her son's retirement. Speaking to USA Today Sports, she confessed: "I texted him and said, 'Son, we're having a party for you. You gave us the best boxing in USA when boxing was dead."
"'You've gotten older. You've ran your course in your journey. It's now time to celebrate'. He brought back boxing to the USA, and we enjoyed all those knockouts. I taped them and I'm going to look back at them. We are going to laugh, we are going to cry, but we are going to be happy."
Her final piece of advice to her defeated son was to use what he has learned on his own journey in boxing to help the next generation of fighters to excel. In a heartwarming urge, she told the star: "Enjoy your life now. Teach other young men how to become a champion."
As for the speculation over his client's future in the sport, it appears that Wilder's manager Shelly Finkel was reluctant to give any major indications either way, saying: "He is fine, he is sleeping now, he was very emotional last night obviously. We didn't expect it to go the way it did."
Addressing the rumors, Anthony Joshua was among those who gave his view on whether Wilder should retire, telling DAZN: "It's completely up to him, I can't say. I just look at and say, 'if you want to do it, do it', it's not a big deal boxing, if you want to fight, fight on, and if you don't want to do it, don't do it anymore, it's just where your heart's at."
"He went in there against a good fighter in Zhilei, he's an Olympian, Zhilei, people forget that, he's come through, he's got a great style, I fought him before in the Olympics and he's still doing what he does now, so many years on. He was in with a real good, seasoned professional with a great pedigree."
Boxing legend Lennox Lewis also shared his thoughts: "The Bronze Bomber told us before the fight that he would retire he didn't win. I think that is a wise decision. He has more than carved out a life in which he can take care of his daughter, so before he suffers any more damage, it is best to leave the game with your faculties intact because there's a LOT more life to live after boxing."
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