Deontay Wilder clears the air on rumored retirement in statement after shocking Saudi Arabia loss to Joseph Parker
Deontay Wilder has spoken on retirement rumors after losing to Joseph Parker at the Day of Reckoning pay-per-view event.
Wilder was a massive -800 favorite heading into the fight. However, the underdog opponent had a better performance on the night and walked away with a unanimous decision win.
Wilder’s loss is one of the bigger upsets of the year. He has now lost three of the last four fights. The 38-year-old's performance and post-fight remarks led the boxing world to believe that his retirement is on the horizon.
However, the 'The Bronze Bomber' later took to Instagram and clarified that he is not calling it a career:
“We came out short tonight. You know what, I don’t know what happened to be honest. My timing was off and I didn’t throw my punches, I didn’t let my hands go like I was supposed to. Sometimes you get like that. But you live to see another fight. You live to see another moment.”
He added:
“I’m still full of happiness, still full of joy, still full of smile. Sorry if I let anyone down but we will be back though! That’s the thing about it, you know.”
Wilder, who was eager to get home to celebrate his daughter’s birthday, reiterated that his time in the sport is far from over and thanked his fans for supporting him through the ups and downs of his career.
Listen to Deontay Wilder’s post-fight thoughts below:
Anthony Joshua sends a message to Deontay Wilder after his loss
The Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder mega-fight has been on the radar for over half a decade. However, it never came to fruition while they both held the heavyweight world titles.
It was speculated that the potential wins on December 23 could set up the much-anticipated fight between the two in early 2024.
While Joshua scored an impressive win over Otto Wallin in the main event, Wilder’s loss to Parker seemingly shelved the fight for now. But ‘AJ’ did not rule out a potential future meeting with 'Bronze Bomber' in the post-fight interview:
“I heard that Deontay lost, so what? He’ll come back. But it shows its fine margins in this business. I wanted to be victorious. I had to be focused. No one is running, ducking from anyone. I need to focus on this man. But everything Deontay said about me, I could rip him apart right now. I’m going to take the higher ground. I hope he comes back.”
Watch Joshua’s post-fight interview below (3:20):