Tyson Fury has urged Deontay Wilder to hang up his gloves in a passionate plea.
‘The Bronze Bomber’ hasn’t looked the same since his trilogy fight with Fury in October 2021.
Over the course of three outings, Fury and Wilder exchanged nine knockdowns.
‘The Gypsy King’ picked himself up off the canvas twice in their inaugural encounter in 2018 to see out a controversial split draw.
However, he returned the favour 18 months later by decking Wilder on two occasions en route to a seventh-round stoppage win.
Their third clash was even more damaging, with Fury scoring three knockdowns and Wilder delivering two as the Brit capped off their rivalry with a brutal 11th-round knockout.
Such a gruelling series is bound to leave lasting effects on both men and Fury fears the fights have taken a massive toll on Wilder after watching him get battered by Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang in his last two bouts.
“I’d like to see poor old Deontay retire from boxing,” he told the Pound for Pound Podcast.
“Obviously he lost the three fights to me. We took a lot of years off of each other’s lives.
“That war that ended in the 11th round by knockout, that takes a lot out your tank and you don’t recover from fights like that.
“Between me and Wilder in our trilogy, there were ten knockdowns. It takes a lot out of a fighter.
“Even when he’s come back and had a couple of fights since against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, he’s only a shadow of his former glory.”
Fury’s words are likely to fall on deaf ears with Wilder’s mind seemingly already made up.
The American’s trainer, Malik Scott, recently told Boxing Scene: “He definitely wants to fight again, for sure.
“Some good things should be coming up in 2025. For now, Deontay has just been resting and focusing on family and his businesses.
“When you are in the second half of your career and in high-level fights against bigger guys, rest is just as important as ripping and running…
“People love seeing Deontay Wilder fight. The AJ fight may not be as juicy as it once was when they were both undefeated but it’s still a juicy fight.
“The heavyweight division is alive and breathing right now but it could be a lot better.
“There are just like five guys in the division that are in high demand right now. It’s about what Turki Alalshikh believes and what the fans want to see.”
