Heavyweight great Lennox Lewis was greatly disappointed by Deontay Wilder’s latest effort in the ring.
Wilder, the dangerous puncher from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, lost a wide unanimous decision to fellow former titlist Joseph Parker in their heavyweight bout last month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in what was one of the more surprising upsets of the past year.
Wilder, who is known for his lethal right cross, had difficulty pulling the trigger on his punches, as Parker controlled the action and landed eye-catching right hands of his own.
The outcome derailed what was supposed to be a tantalizing showdown between Wilder and Anthony Joshua in March in Riyadh. Now Joshua will be taking on former UFC champion Francis Ngannou that month.
Lewis, the last fully unified heavyweight champion in the sport, offered a harsh assessment of Wilder’s seemingly lackadaisical performance, saying he believes “The Bronze Bomber” was ill-prepared and may have even “lost his spark.” Lewis also took issue with Wilder’s attempts to box Parker, instead of trying to back the New Zealander down, saying such a strategy was not in Wilder’s best interests.
“It looked like to me that Wilder wasn’t even focused on the fight,” Lewis told The Ring. “I don’t know what he was focused on, (but) mentally he said it was the money. ‘They paid me, I wasn’t really ready but I came out and gave them this for a little money. It doesn’t matter what way it goes, I’m prepared for a loss, I’m prepared for a win. Let God decide.’ He lost his spark.
“I think trying to box at this stage is a mental thing for me because there are certain things you are supposed to learn on the way up and when you’ve knocked everybody out on the way up, then the mentality becomes if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
Lewis recommended that Wilder find a better mentor—Wilder is trained by Malik Scott—someone who can strengthen some of his offensive repertoire, like the hook or uppercut, instead of just focusing on his vaunted right hand.
“Get with someone who can make those powerful punches even more lethal by working on other stuff like a great uppercut, a great hook,” Lewis said. “Surprise them, they’re looking for the right hand, hit them with an uppercut, a hook.
“I don’t think he was totally serious with that fight because you can look at the punch stats, and they’re not close to the (Tyson) Fury fight. This is a lesser man because his weight is not there, his punch count is not up to par, undoubtedly he didn’t take the fight that seriously.”
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.