While he continues to wait, seemingly ever so patiently, for his deserved and earned crack at becoming a two-time heavyweight champion, former WBO ruler Joseph Parker spoke briefly with Casino Hawks about former opponent and fellow former heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder.

Parker was asked his opinion on Wilder’s chances of ever being able to reach the top again, this as we await “The Bronze Bomber’s” June return against the little-known Tyrrell Herndon. And Parker had good things to say about Wilder, who he widely outpointed when the two fought some months back.

“Deontay Wilder will always have what it takes to be a champion again because he punches like a mule,” the New Zealander said. “If you think [Daniel] Dubois is a powerhouse, Wilder has extremely powerful hands and he has shown that in a lot of his fights. He probably has the best record out there when it comes to knocking people out. He has a good knockout ratio with the fights he has had. If he believes in himself and gets his training right, I’m sure he can come back. Look at George Foreman for example. How old was he when he came back and won the world title? Heavyweights can go in this game a long time.”

But is Wilder really finished—despite Parker’s optimism?

Now, we know Parker is a genuinely nice guy, and maybe it is simply beyond him to say anything negative about another fighter. But Wilder has not looked good, or powerful, in many months. They say the last thing a fighter loses is his punch – and this was true with all-time great “Big George,” who Parker mentioned – but Wilder really did look to be all out of bullets in the Parker fight, and then in the even more disastrous Zhilei Zhang fight.

Can Wilder come back, this at age 39? Wilder should be able to take care of Herndon, but who even knows there for sure? But as far as being a world champion again the way Parker says he thinks is a real possibility for Wilder, that just does not seem realistic at all. But again, let’s see how Wilder, 43-4-1(42) looks against the 24-5(15) Herndon on June 27th.

It goes without saying that a loss for Wilder here would without a doubt end his career.