Wilder during a long interview with Brian Custer that he experienced lasting psychological effects from his previous rivalry with Tyson Fury, saying: “I got PTSD from previous situations, but I saw someone for it.”
The admission was unusually direct from a former heavyweight champion whose identity was built on intimidation and emotional certainty. He said he had since sought help, but his comments quickly backfired on Fury, the opponent who had beaten him twice and ended his title reign.
Fury rivalry remains central until Wilder’s return
The reference was not casual. Wilder launched a sustained attack on Fury’s character, accusing him of cheating and directing anger at those who supported him. The emotional intensity of those comments revealed that Fury remains central to Wilder’s thinking, even as he prepares to resume his career against new opposition. Fighters who have fully moved on rarely revisit old defeats with that level of urgency years later.
Wilder’s career came to a halt after the Fury trilogy ended in October 2021, when he was stopped in the 11th round of their third fight. That defeat followed his seventh-round stoppage loss in their rematch, which had already cost him the WBC heavyweight title he had successfully defended ten times. He returned in 2022 with a knockout victory over Robert Helenius, but his activity slowed down after that, and he no longer holds the same position of authority he once held in the division.
His comments during the interview reflect a fighter trying to assert relevance while still carrying the emotional weight of those losses. Wilder has described himself as essential to boxing’s future, saying the sport is incomplete without him, but his words repeatedly circled back to Fury rather than outlining specific steps to rebuild his status.
To see a fighter who built his entire career on being the “Bronze Bomber,” this unstoppable, intimidating force, admit to having PTSD is a massive shift in his public persona.
Although he has not explicitly blamed a single fight, the “shadow of himself” observation is backed up by his recent record.
The Post-Fury Slump
Indeed, since that brutal 2021 trilogy finale, he has struggled to find the same rhythm:
- Robert Helenius (2022): He looked like the old Wilder here with a first-round KO, but it was a quick burst that didn’t require much sustained mental focus.
- Joseph Parker (2023): This was where the “shadow” really appeared. He looked hesitant and lethargic and lost a wide unanimous decision.
- Zhilei Zhang (2024): Another tough night where he looked gun shy before being stopped in the fifth round.
- Tyrrell Herndon (2025): He did pick up a TKO win here, but it was against a lower level of opposition compared to the elite level he’s used to.
The perception is that the Fury fights are the main cause, which makes sense when you look at the way he talks. Even in recent interviews where he mentions seeking help from a sports psychologist, his conversation almost always turns back to Fury, betrayal and the emotional baggage from that era.
Deontay recently mentioned that “betrayals” from those around him during that time affected him more than the actual losses, suggesting that the “PTSD from past situations” may be as much about the people around him as the punches he took. At 40, fighting through that level of psychological weight is a tough task, especially in a division that has moved toward guys like Usyk.
Wilder, now 40, remains one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history, and that alone ensures he will continue to garner attention. Knockout power doesn’t disappear overnight, and it gives him a path back to meaningful fights if he stays active. But his interview made it clear that his return is not simply about chasing new opponents. It’s also about confronting the chapter that changed his career.
