Down and out Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and journeyman Curtis Harper have reportedly signed contracts for an April 26 fight that will be shown on BLK Prime from Atlanta.
Wilder vs. Harper
Harper, 36, has some pop in his punches, making him a threat to beat the gunshy, kinny ‘Bronze Bomber’ Wilder. A knockout loss to Harper would have to be seen as the end for Deontay. Losing to this level of a fighter would be an indication that the Alabama native is not capable of being a major player in the division.
Lance Pugmire reports that the 39-year-old Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) and Harper (18-11, 12 KOs) have signed contracts for this fight. It’s a desperate situation for Deontay as he hasn’t won a fight in three years since 2022 and has been beaten in four of his last five fights.
Deontay’s last five fights:
- Zhilei Zhang: TKO 5 losses
- Joseph Parker: UD 12 loss
- Robert Helenius: KO 1 win
- Tyson Fury: KO 11 loss
- Tyson Fury: TKO 7 loss
Many fans feel Wilder should retire already. From 2012 to 2018, he looked like a shadow of the fighter he was at the height of his career.
In the towering 6’7″ Bronze Bomber’s last fight, he was knocked out by two-time Olympian Zhilei Zhang in the fifth round on June 1, 2024, in Riyadh.
Turki Al-Sheikh hasn’t given up on Wilder despite losing his previous fight on one of his Riyadh cards in a one-sided 12-round unanimous decision loss to Joseph Parker on December 23, 2023. Interestingly, Deontay is not included in Turki’s massive February 22 event in Riyadh. Did he give up on him?
Deontay looked timid and afraid to throw punches in his losses to Zhang and Parker. He mostly held back, pretending to throw but not letting his hands go. The question is whether it’s because of his coach, Malik Scott, or his age. It could also be that Wilder’s two knockout losses to Tyson Fury have made him gunshy, afraid to throw for fear of being countered. That’s how Fury beat him.
Harper’s big shot
Harper has been busy in 2024, winning four fights against obscure second-tier opposition. In 2023, he fought three times, losing to Richard Torrez, Guido Vianello and Damian Knyba. Harper made it to the eighth round against heavy puncher Torrez before being stopped.
If he can land that long against Wilder, he has an excellent chance of beating him, as it doesn’t take much to knock out the Bronze Bomber these days. The slapper Fury stopped him twice, and he couldn’t punch out of a wet paper bag.
If it all goes bad for Deontay and he loses, it’s not the end of the world. Yes, he would be occupationally needybut he will still have his enormous $30 million fortune. That is reason enough for him to be happy. He got a lot out of his career with his meager skills and only right-handed bazooka.
