Deontay Wilder: No Longer Feared, Says Hearn

Eddie Hearn says fighters no longer fear Deontay Wilder, as his career has sunk in the last five years. He says the former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) is a classic example of a “fighter losing his way.”

Hearn doesn’t say why 39-year-old Deontay’s career has evaporated since 2020, but it’s logical to assume that his becoming wealthy, amassing a fortune of $30 million from his three fights with Tyson Fury, had something to do with it.

The other part is that he was overrated, much like Fury and Anthony Joshua. Fans saw all three as great talents, but it was all smoke and mirrors created by matchmaking. Promoters can make any fighter great with the proper guidance.

Deontay has lost four out of his last five fights since 2020, and will be trying to rejuvenate his career against Tyrrell Anthony Herndon next month on June 27 at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. Few fans have heard of Herndon (24-5, 15 KOs), which shows how far Wilder’s career has fallen. For him to be matched against this level of opposition by his promoters, it reeks of desperation to keep him going.

Hearn: Wilder’s Lost Fear

“It’s not a fight that I rule out, but people don’t give Wilder much shot against AJ right now, but hopefully, he can start looking good again,” said Eddie Hearn to Fighthype about whether there’s a chance for the Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua fight this late in their careers.

Deontay turns 40 in October, hasn’t won a fight in three years, and is coming off back-to-back defeats. At this point, he might not win his next fight against little-known Tyrrell Herndon on June 27th. It’s questionable whether Wilder’s problems are a result of age, deterioration from his three fights against Tyson Fury, or soft living from becoming one of the super-rich.

“Again, we talk about fighters losing their way. There’s a great example. It’s funny how people can be so fearful of a fighter, and then all of a sudden, have no fear whatsoever,” said Hearn.

Deontay stopped being feared by fighters after his seventh-round knockout loss to the slapper Fury in 2020. That guy isn’t known as a power puncher, but he was able to bat Wilder around the ring all night in that fight.

You couldn’t take that version of Fury and put him in with any of the top heavyweights in this era and expect him to do the same thing. That was a prime version of Fury, but he had the perfect opponent for him to look better than he was.

Deontay was never a good heavyweight, but was positioned to capture the WBC heavyweight title by being matched against the vulnerable fighter Bermane Stiverne. Deontay then milked his WBC title by defending it against weak opposition for five years before losing it to Fury in 2020.

“I don’t think anybody now would fear fighting Deontay Wilder, whereas at a point, everyone thought, ‘Oh my God, this guy is the biggest puncher in the history of the sport.’ Now, everyone wants to fight him,” said Hearn.

The younger fighters don’t fear Wilder or the 35-year-old Anthony Joshua, both considered old fossils. If Hearn took AJ out of the protective mode, he’d be food for most of the top-tier heavyweights in the division. Obviously, He won’t let that happen, but that’s what would happen. Joshua is just as beatable now as Wilder, and feared by no one.

Nostalgia Over Talent

“If he keeps winning, maybe people can talk about that fight again,” said Hearn about a match between Deontay and Joshua.

Wilder isn’t going to keep winning unless he’s matched against terrible opposition. At this point, the only way a fight between him and AJ happens is if it’s done for the same reason Joshua’s likely clash against Fury. In other words, for money to give sentimental older fans the fights they wanted to see all these years.

Joshua-Wilder and Joshua-Fury fights will not resonate with younger fans because they don’t view these guys as cutting-edge heavyweights. They see them as old relics, like the Ford Model T automobile.