Social media users believe they have pinpointed the moment Deontay Wilder may have lost his knockout advantage.
It comes after the Bronze Bomber, 38, suffered a fifth-round knockout defeat to Zhilei Zhang on Saturday evening as Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions completed a 5-0 clean sweep against Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom in the 5v5 event.
The defeat was Wilder’s second straight after suffering a unanimous defeat to Joseph Parker in December. It was also his fourth loss in his last five fights.
As reports circulate that Joshua could fight Daniel Dubois in September, speculation has arisen about the Bronze Bomber’s long-term future in the sport.
The former WBC champion’s last win came against Robert Helenius in October 2022, with the American fighter viciously knocking out his opponent in the first round of their fight.
I believe they pinpointed the moment Deontay Wilder (pictured) lost his knockout advantage
Wilder (left) was defeated by Zhilei Zhang via fifth-round knockout (right) during Saturday night’s 5v5 event
Wilder delivered a devastating right hand to the Finnish boxer, sending him to the canvas.
After the fight he gave an emotional speech that left the Bronze Bomber in tears after speaking out about the dangers of boxing and how professionals risk serious injury when they enter the ring.
He said: ‘[We go] that’s a good knockout, it’s devastating. Making history and stuff like that.
‘But how much is that man going to suffer? He may be okay now. A little. But what about the next day? What about two weeks from now? What about a month from now? Years from now?
‘We see what happened. Prichard Colon. This man had no children,” he said before bursting into tears.
A member of his team appeared to console him before adding: “They don’t know what we’re going through. They don’t understand. They don’t fucking understand what we’re going through, man.”
Boxing presenter Dav Sahni subsequently reposted the video online, along with an image of the Bronze Bomber and Helenius posing after their fight, claiming this fight may have been the moment that ‘scared’ Wilder.
Wilder’s (left) latest victory came after he knocked out Robert Helenius (center) in the first round of their 2022 meeting
After the fight, the Bronze Bomber (pictured) broke down in tears during an interview discussing the dangers of boxing
Boxing presenter Dev Sahni believes this could have been the moment Wilder lost his clinical edge
“I think when Deontay Wilder knocked out his friend Robert Helenius he got scared and we lost the Bronze Bomber that day,” boxing host Sahni wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
‘He cried at the press conference afterwards when he spoke about the dangers of the sport and never knocked out a man again after that.’
Wilder’s record currently stands at 43-4-1, and after his defeat to Zhang, it appears that a potential match between him and Joshua may not happen.
The pair have been circling each other for many years and it seemed that if Wilder had defeated Parker in December, the pair could have stepped into the ring for a highly anticipated meeting.
Joshua was asked on Saturday evening what he thinks the future holds for Wilder, but he urged the American not to rush into retirement.
“It’s completely up to him, I can’t say,” the British fighter told DAZN.
Questions have been raised about the 38-year-old fighter’s (left) future in the sport
“I just look at it and say, ‘if you want to do it, do it’, it’s no problem with boxing, if you want to fight, keep fighting, and if you don’t want to do it, don’t do it it’s not anymore, it’s just what your heart goes out to.
“He went there against a good fighter in Zhilei, he’s an Olympian, Zhilei, people forget that, he came through, he’s got a great style, I fought him before in the Olympics and he’s still doing what he’s doing now does, so many years later. He had a very good, seasoned professional with a great pedigree.
“It doesn’t matter, just come back if you want, and if you don’t, you’ve got your family there, there’s another life for him outside of boxing.”