For former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay "The Bronze Bomber" Wilder, with the last two consecutive bout losses, it seems to mean the end and, in the words of the media – he looks finished!
Wilder's career was completely on the brink of a precipice with a points loss to Joseph Parker last December, and then a knockout by "Big Bang" Zhang Zhilei last month, and almost all fans and media believe that Wilder should retire, although he hasn't officially announced it, but it's likely that a decision has already been made.
However, Wild had another chance this week, and a seemingly crazy "lifeline" appeared in front of him, and that was that he could adjust his weight to fight in the 224-pound super-welweight (bridgeweight) division and try to break new ground.
Currently, only the WBC and WBA have established a 224-pound super-welweight division, which is somewhere between heavyweight and welterweight, and WBC champion Lawrence O'Koli is eager to take on Wild.
WBC President Mauricio Suleiman recently said that the WBC could directly approve Wilder's bid for 224-pound champion Okoli if he wanted to.
Suleiman wrote on social media: "I'm sure Wilder will approve it if Wilde wants to play this champion (Okoli), but we haven't heard anything from Wilder yet.
Clearly, WBC is willing to give the green light to this game, if Wilder has the intention? If he can face Okoli, who has a 20-1 record and 15 knockouts, it will still be very interesting. It should be mentioned that Wild didn't need to make a big move to get into 224 pounds, because in the last game against Zhang Zhilei, Wild weighed only 214 pounds, and he even needed to gain weight to compete with Okoli, so weight is not a problem at all.
Next, it's up to Wilder to face Okoli? The 1.96-meter-tall Englishman Okoli, who was Anthony Joshua's perennial opponent and former WBO welterweight champion, is a good player, and if Wilder wants to continue his career, he can consider Okoli, and as some media have said, if he wins, he will win the second division of the world title.
But what did Wild really think? Only he knows best! If he decides to leave, there will be no outcome in challenging Okoli. Of course, for a star fighter like Wilder, ending his career will be very tough, and he will definitely think about it again. At the same time, we have seen a lot of former world champions who are past their prime, still trying to compete, will Wilder also consider coming out of the shadows?
There is a certain suspense in Wilde against Okoli, can he win against his opponent? Judging from the confrontation with Parker and Zhang Zhilei, Wild has already lost most of it, and it seems that there are no bullets in the ammunition depot, but his loss to Parker and Zhang Zhilei does not mean that he will also lose to Okoli, who knows.
Wilder is not short of money now, some people think that he has lost the motivation to train and compete, but it is more like there is no need to train and compete hard, because there is an 8-figure deposit in the bank, Wilder can choose to lie flat, and at the same time, he will also consider his boxing legacy, if he returns to the ring and loses again, it is better to choose to leave early, unless there is enough money to impress Wilder.