Deontay Wilder could soon receive an unexpected new world title opportunity. Just when many had written him off, the Bronze Bomber has been publicly called out by the current heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk, who has expressed interest in facing him. According to Wilder, however, his perceived decline is precisely the reason behind Usyk’s willingness to step into the ring with him.
Speaking to BoxingScene, the American heavyweight said the following:
“When I was at the top and stuff, nobody, they didn’t talk that way [challenging him]. You understand me? It was a different language, because I still got that power right here. But they feel because of my derailing of certain situations and me mentally getting myself back together, they feel like, ‘Oh, now we can beat him. Let’s give him an opportunity.’ Because I know for sure the more you lose, the more opportunities you get than when you winning. I know that for a fact. You get more opportunity losing than you winning because people feel like they can beat you.”
Later in the interview, Wilder praised the technical qualities of the Ukrainian fighter, admitting that he has admired him ever since seeing him fight for the first time. The Bronze Bomber then sarcastically pointed out that when he was at the peak of his career he was heavily criticized for his supposedly crude fighting style, whereas now, after suffering some defeats, everyone claims to want the “old Wilder” back—the very one they used to disparage.
It remains to be seen whether negotiations for this fight will actually materialize and whether, at 40 years of age, Deontay Wilder will be able to compete with the dominant heavyweight of this era. One thing is certain: bookmakers and experts will give him very little chance of success, but that does not seem to worry the American fighter, who is convinced he can once again wrap a championship belt around his waist.