Frank Warren has questioned if Deontay Wilder can recover from his shock defeat to Joseph Parker in their ‘Day of Reckoning’ showdown. Parker completely dominated the ‘Bronze Bomber’ in their fight last month, and the result means it is less likely that Wilder will seal a long-awaited meeting with Anthony Joshua. Warren said Wilder looked like a “shot fighter”.
Boxing promoter Frank Warren has warned Deontay Wilder that his career could be “over” if he doesn’t put on a better performance in his next fight.
The American was far from his best in his shock defeat to Joseph Parker at ‘Day of Reckoning’ in Saudi Arabia last month.
Parker dominated Wilder for the majority of the fight and came away victorious by unanimous decision.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Warren fears that Wilder’s best days are behind him after his disappointing loss.
“I did think at the end of the day, he looked like a shot fighter to me,” he said.
“That’s how he looked. And he’s come out with various reasons behind the scenes, which I’ve heard, but the proof has got to be in the pudding.
“If he comes back and has another fight, he certainly can’t have another performance like that because it will all be over.
“I think he’s got a big struggle to get himself back into it. If he decides he wants to do that, I think he’s got a big struggle because he certainly wasn’t at the races.”
Wilder’s defeat means that he is unlikely to face Anthony Joshua in a highly-anticipated showdown later this year.
Joshua and Wilder had – according to some reports – agreed to fight on March 9, providing they beat their respective opponents – Otto Wallin and Parker.
Joshua put on an impressive performance in Riyadh to stop Wallin after five rounds, but Wilder couldn’t keep his side of the bargain.
Following the bout, Wilder reignited speculation that he could face the Brit but Warren said the fight depends on the American and not Joshua.
“AJ-Wilder? To resurrect that there’s got to be some sort of outstanding performance from Wilder,” Warren added.
Similarly to Wilder, Joshua was also confident that the mouth-watering fight between the pair could still go ahead.
“I could rip him for all the things he’s said about me but I’ll take the higher ground,” Joshua said after his win over Wallin.
“He can come back. I’m sure everyone still wants to see that fight.”
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