Champion With a Lost Soul
By Eddie Sanchez
When a fighter steps into the ring or the cage, they risk exiting a permanently changed person. Oftentimes these changes are physical in nature relating to an injury or standard wear and tear, but other times, the changes are with one’s mentality.
If the current rumors are true, Deontay Wilder will never be the same man he was before being brutally dominated by Tyson Fury.
It has been well documented that the expected trilogy between Fury and Wilder has been postponed multiple times in 2020 due to injuries and possibilities of seeking gate revenue. Despite the fact that there has been little to no communication from Deontay himself, this was understood to be standard for a COVID era super-fight.
As we get closer to the long-rumored December fight date, the possibilities of this fight seem to be closing rapidly according to Tyson Fury.
“I was looking forward to smashing Wilder again. A quick and easy fight,” Fury said. “But Wilder and his team were messing around with the date. They don’t really want to fight the lineal heavyweight champion. They know how it ends. The world knows how it will end: with Wilder on his ass again.”
While I believe most would agree with this sentiment, there was still much intrigue for the trilogy bout. There were even many in the boxing community who believe that Wilder could make the necessary adjustment to earn his belt back.
Floyd Mayweather even offered to lend his expertise and assist with sharpening WIlder’s skills to put him over the edge with his rival.
Unfortunately, it now seems we are at the point where this discussion is moot because Fury’s team claims that the rematch clause has expired and he is no longer under obligation to face the American.
While WIlder’s team denies this, I would lend my trust more with Fury’s team because I find it hard to believe they would issue a bold face lie in public.
Given the uncertainty with boxing, I would not rule out WIlder-Fury before the end of the calendar year, but it is definitely the least likely to be completed throughout the months of rumors and negotiations.
If this fight doesn’t happen, it might be a hidden positive for fans who did not want to waste their time seeing the fight again because we would be one step closer to the much anticipated undisputed heavyweight title bout, but in the same breath would be a massive disappointment for Deontay.
If the rumors are true, I can’t see how he can legitimately fight as a contender anymore. This maneuver, if true, would essentially be him giving up and the current champions would likely not offer him another opportunity again, unless forced via mandatory status.
For Deontay’s sake, I hope the rumors aren’t true. Seeing a man as defeated as he looked is fine for the ring, but as a fan, I do not wish to see anyone walk through life with that burden.
