Deontay Wilder reveals he fought Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang with a severe injury: "Everything was f***ed up there"
Deontay Wilder recently opened up on his injury that affected his performance against Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker. He shared that he went ahead with the bouts despite being in excruciating pain.
Wilder is currently on a two-fight losing streak. The American fighter squared off against Parker last year at the 'Day of Reckoning' boxing event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and suffered a unanimous decision loss. He was hoping to get back in the win column when he faced Zhang earlier this year in the main event of '5 vs. 5: Queensbury vs. Matchroom' in Saudi Arabia, however, he was knocked out in the fifth round.
In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Wilder talked about the shoulder injury he sustained last year that hindered his performance in his recent boxing outings, saying:
''I broke my arm way back in November sometime. I didn't know. 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 [recently] and everything was f***ed up there, I didn't know because I've got a high tolerance of pain.”
Following Francis Ngannou's comment regarding the same, Wilder then alluded to a possible boxing showdown with the former UFC heavyweight champion upon his recovery, saying:
''Even since I’ve been off, there’s been a lot of offers coming in, a lot of different countries. Even with Francis [Ngannou]''
Check out Deontay Wilder's comments below (0:07):
Wilder will be looking to get back in the squared circle, although there is currently no firm information regarding his next opponent. Nevertheless, his former opponent Tyson Fury, who defeated him twice, recently stated on the Pound 4 Pound podcast that the 39-year-old should hang up his gloves.
However, Wilder's longtime trainer Malik Scott, told BoxingScene that 'The Bronze Bomber' still has a few good years left in him.
When Francis Ngannou downplayed Deontay Wilder's chances against him in MMA
Earlier this year, Francis Ngannou expressed his desire to face Deontay Wilder in a potential boxing match. However, during an interview with talkSport, Ngannou dismissed Wilder's prospect of defeating him in mixed martial arts, saying:
"[I'd like to face him] In pure boxing. Don't be delusional here, that is where we both stand a chance... If we go like mixed martial arts, only one man stands a chance... A fight is never too easy, but [it will be] close to too easy."
Check out Francis Ngannou's comments below: