Deontay Wilder will fight an opponent yet to be determined on BLK Prime in April. Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, will reveal the opponent on Saturday in Los Angeles.
For BLK Prime to get their money’s worth, Wilder needs to fight someone the fans are interested in seeing. He has looked hellish in his last two fights, losing to Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker.
April return
There was talk of Francis Ngannou possibly fighting Wilder. If that’s the opponent, some people would like to see the match because Ngannou gave Tyson Fury a lot of trouble. It was an out-of-shape Fury.
Former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) is coming off a fifth-round knockout loss to Zhilei Zhang on June 1 in Riyadh. It was the 39-year-old Deontay’s fourth loss in his last five fights since 2020.
The shots that Zhang Wilder hit were much harder than the punches that Tyson Fury had in his three fights with him.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ hasn’t looked like the same fighter he once was since being knocked out by Tyson Fury in the seventh round of their rematch on February 22, 2020.
“I’m told @BronzeBomber will return for a comeback fight in April on BLK Prime. Wilder and manager Shelley Finkel will meet with the media in Los Angeles on Saturday to announce the opponent,” Manouk Akopyan said on Xtalk about Deontay Wilder’s next fight.
Fans would like to see Deontay fight with the same ruthless aggression he had during his prime, but it doesn’t look like that will happen. He’s nearing 40, super rich with a net worth estimated at $40 million, and can no longer pull the trigger on his fists.
It’s not that he can’t. He just seems afraid to throw for fear of being caught. That’s how Fury hurt Wilder, and he seems to have a hard time forgetting that horrific experience.
Wilder has won just one fight in the past five years, beating his former sparring partner Robert Helenius with a first-round knockout in 2022.
