Retired boxing great Lennox Lewis said today he hopes Deontay Wilder retires following his defeat to Zhang Zhilei in Riyadh last Saturday night.
Lewis thinks it would be a good idea for the 38-year-old former WBC heavyweight champion (43-4-1, 42 KOs) to hang up the boxing gloves “while he's still got the ability.”
Wilder was knocked out in the fifth round by the 41-year-old Chan (27-2-1, 22 KOs) in the main event at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena.
For Wilder, it was his fourth loss in five fights since 2020 and a clear indication that he no longer has the ability to win at the highest level, with two of those knockouts coming at the hands of Tyson Fury.
Wilder's decline and pre-fight retirement talk
Before last night's fight with Zhang, Wilder had said he would retire if he lost, but after the fight he was noncommittal about whether he would follow through on his retirement talk.
Promoter Eddie Hearn said Wilder was unhappy that the referee stopped the fight in the fifth round, saying Wilder got up but rather than give him a chance, the referee overruled him.
Does Wilder feel he didn't really lose because of the premature stoppage? There's no denying it, because it looked like the referee stopped the fight without giving the Bronze Bomber a chance to try and save himself with a right hand, as he tried to do in his three-part battle with Tyson Fury in 2021. We all saw what Wilder did in that fight.
of Bronze Bomber Before the match he said that if he didn't win he would retire. I think that's a wise decision. He's made enough of a living in taking care of his daughter, so it would be better for him to calm down and quit before he does any more damage…
— Lennox Lewis, CBE, CM (@LennoxLewis) June 2, 2024
Fans believe Wilder no longer has the confidence or reflexes to throw a punch, and feel that his three fights with Tyson Fury have marred the careers of both men. Tyson looks tired, but Wilder looks even more tired.
