Deontay Wilder fumbled the bag on Saturday in Dubai, losing his Day of Reckoning bout against Joseph Parker via one sided unanimous decision. “The Bronze Bomber” showed no urgency until the very end of the fight, sleepwalking to a 118-111, 118-110 and 120-108 scores (watch the highlights here).
“My timing was off a little bit,” Wilder said afterward. “He did a great job of avoiding a lot of my punches. I did feel like I had the upper hand, but things happen and we move on to the next step.”
Asked if the long layoff from competition hurt him, Wilder was non-committal.
“Could have, but we’re not going to base it off of that,” he said. “We did what we did and we move on to the next. You know what I mean? We live to see another day and that’s what it’s all about. And I’m just ready to go home to my children and love all over them.”
Originally this was supposed to be a set-up fight for the bigger Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder money fight. Now Wilder sounded like he might be contemplating retirement soon. That would be a bummer for Joshua, who still sounds interested in the fight. And then there’s Francis Ngannou, who was hoping to do a two-fight MMA and boxing series with Wilder.
“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “We have a little bit more left, but I’ve done a great job with managing my money, investing and I’m a happy fighter. We go ahead and do what we do, and we go home and live and spread love to the family and all our loved ones, and then on to the next.”
“I’m a warrior, so I’ll be back soon. And if not, then it’s been an enjoyment. It is been a pleasure and I appreciate everybody for the love and the support that they’ve been giving me for over the years.”
Wilder had mentioned a change in his mindset since doing the psychedelic drug ayahuasca. It came up again during the post-fight press conference.
“I’ve done ayahuasca, I found a lot of peace in my life,” Wilder said. “I found a lot of happiness in my life. I’ve been wearing this smile all week long and I’m going to still wear it, win, lose, or draw. I’m going to wear my smile because I’m blessed and I’m highly favored. And I don’t think nothing can stop me on that.”
“That’s what it’s all about: being a warrior, going in and giving it all you got, and if you come up on the short end, you just get back up and you keep trying,” he concluded. “That’s what life is all about. Falling and getting back up, falling and getting back up. You can’t quit. You can’t give up.”
“You must keep going, for we all have greatness in us, but greatness is only determined by service and I’m going to continue to apply my service, baby.”
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
