Deontay Wilder celebrates his 38th birthday today. There was a time, not all that long ago, when a fighter, being just two years shy of his 40th birthday, was considered to be very long in the tooth, even if he happened to be a heavyweight, where reliance on reflexes and speed is not always necessary, certainly not as much as these attributes are utterly essential for the lower-weight boxers. But today, thanks to great “old” fighters like George Foreman, Bernard Hopkins, Larry Holmes, and one or two others, the age of 40 is not, as Foreman insisted at the height of his astonishing comeback, “a death sentence.”
Which brings us back to Wilder. How much more can the former WBC heavyweight champion who has been called by some ‘the hardest-punching heavyweight of them all,’ go on to accomplish? With possible fights with Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz, Zhilei Zhang, and, Wilder hopes, Oleksandr Usyk still theoretically out there for him, Wilder could go on to do a lot more in the future.
Having said that, “The Bronze Bomber” has been inactive now for a full year, and that clock is ticking……. When will Wilder fight again if he is to do so (and, as exciting as he is, we hope he does fight again, we hope he is not yet done)? What if the big fights continue, for whatever reason, to elude Wilder?
If he does get the ‘right’ fights, maybe Wilder can put his name on the page of ‘great older fighters.’ That withering punching power will never leave Wilder. Therefore, he will have a great chance against anyone he fights, even if he’s still fighting when he’s well into his forties. Wilder, a pro since November of 2015, has, quite amazingly, boxed just 162 rounds.
That’s not that much at all, especially for a guy who is 43-2-1 (with 42 KOs). Of course, the punishment Wilder took in two of his three battles with Tyson Fury may have taken a considerable amount out of Wilder, far more than his mileage in terms of rounds boxed would perhaps make us think was the case.
How much has Wilder got left? How many more highlight reel knockouts can/will he score? Can Wilder become a two-time heavyweight champ?
For now, as he celebrates his birthday in Tuscaloosa, these questions and others remain unanswered. Maybe these questions will never be answered.
How about YOU – do YOU want to see Wilder fight again, and if so, who against?
A wish list for Wilder:
Wilder Vs. Joshua (duh!)
Wilder Vs. Zhang (bombs away in China!)
Wilder Vs. Usyk (it would be a simply fascinating Boxer Vs. Puncher showdown)
Wilder Vs. Fury IV (just for the heck of it….and, in terms of drama and sheer violence, fight-three has not been topped by any heavyweight fight since it thrilled us all in October of 2021.)
