Deontay Wilder is one of the hardest-hitting heavyweights of all time, with all but one of his 43 professional boxing victories ending inside the distance.
The former WBC world champion remained unbeaten for over a decade, too, before suffering a brutal seventh-round stoppage defeat to Tyson Fury back in 2020.
Then, when he lost again to his heavyweight rival in their third encounter the following year, many began to question what Deontay Wilder has left in the tank.
Indeed, their doubts over his future in boxing proved to be valid, as the American has since lost to top contenders Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.
Deontay Wilder claims he was injured ahead of Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang defeats
Wilder was made a considerable favorite ahead of his clash with former world champion Parker, with his pulverizing power, in the eyes of most fans, giving him the edge.
After all, despite coming off a three-fight unbeaten run, the New Zealander had been stopped by Joe Joyce just over a year before they locked horns in 2023.
And yet, Wilder was nonetheless unable to find an answer for his opponent’s relentless aggression, which ultimately led to him being comprehensively outpointed over 12 rounds.
The Olympic bronze medallist was then faced with a similar dilemma in his following outing against fellow knockout artist Zhilei Zhang, seemingly remaining unable to pull the trigger.
This time, however, Wilder found himself on the receiving end of a more punishing beatdown, which culminated in an emphatic fifth-round finish.
But now, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has claimed that he was nursing a significant injury ahead of both bouts.
“I broke my arm way back in November sometime,” Wilder told TMZ Sports.
“I didn’t know. I had two tears on my shoulder. I could feel the pain, but I just thought it was old injuries.
“But I got an MRI [recently] and everything was f***ed up there, I didn’t know because I’ve got a high tolerance of pain.”
Will Deontay Wilder fight Francis Ngannou?
Given his recent history of excuses – raising a whole host of reasons for why he lost to Fury – it is difficult to know whether Wilder’s comments are genuine.
Still, the 39-year-old has insisted that he will return to the ring, targeting former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou as a potential opponent.
The MMA star has, of course, already dipped his toe into the world of professional boxing, losing a contentious split decision to Fury before getting stopped in the second round by Anthony Joshua.
But regardless, the Cameroonian has always maintained an interest in returning to the sport, and may well decide to test himself against Wilder.