Deontay Wilder claims he unknowingly fought his last two bouts with a broken arm.
The ‘Bronze Bomber’ has looked like a shadow of his former self since his trilogy bout with Fury in October 2021 and subsequent comeback win over Robert Helenius a year later.
Wilder was battered from pillar to post in a points loss to Joseph Parker last December and then knocked out by Zhilei Zhang in June of this year.
The American looked timid and gunshy in both outings, showing a real reluctance to let his trademark right-hand fly.
And now, Wilder has provided an explanation for his hesitant approach.
“I broke my arm way back in November sometime,” he told TMZ, “I didn’t know.
“I had two tears on my shoulder. I could feel the pain, but I just thought it was old injuries.
“But I got an MRI [recently] and everything was f***ed up there, I didn’t know because I’ve got a high tolerance of pain.”
Wilder’s recent form has led to calls for his retirement from several members of the boxing fraternity, including his old rival Fury.
But the former WBC heavyweight champion insists he intends to keep boxing.
“The best is yet to come,” he continued. “I had a lot of outside distractions that I had to get rid of.
“I took care of a lot of people and it got to the point where I couldn’t do it anymore.
“I’ve got seven kids of my own, I can’t take care of everybody. Even the closest ones to me, I’ve been betrayed so many times.
“It’s been a domino effect for the last five years. The thing about betrayal is it’s worse than heartbreak.”
One fight that has been floated around for Wilder is a crossover clash with MMA star Francis Ngannou.
The Cameroonian cage fighter lost to Fury and Anthony Joshua in his first two professional boxing bouts but has expressed an interest in returning to the squared circle after winning his MMA comeback against Rena Ferreira last month.
“Even since I’ve been off there has been a lot of offers from countries and stuff like that,” Wilder added when asked if he would entertain a clash with Ngannou.
“Even with Francis, I hope everything is going good for you man, I’m sorry for your loss (Ngannou’s 15-month-old son, Kobe, died in April).
“I can only imagine what it is like to lose a child, I never hope to even feel that feeling but I hope life is going beautifully for you.
“And yeah, that is a conversation. I’m still looking to get in the mix and talk about it…
“Any fight is competitive when you’ve got a man that has two hands, two feet, a heart, and a will to win.
“That way you’ve got competition and a fight on your hands.
“That’s why you respect every man you get into the ring with, you never know what dog he brings to the fight.”
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