Deontay Wilder’s father, Gary, has offered his advice to his son after his devastating fifth-round knockout loss to Zhihei Zhang. Gary Wilder suggested that Deontay should consider firing his trainer, Malik Scott, whom he had been friends with before taking over as his trainer in 2021. According to Gary Wilder, Deontay’s record since then is 1-3, leading him to believe that a change in coaching style may be necessary.
Despite the defeat to Zhang, Deontay Wilder hinted at considering retirement. However, Gary believes there are still good years left in his career. Shelly Finkel, one of Deontay’s co-managers, declined to comment on Gary Wilder’s remarks and clarified that Gary is not directly involved in his son’s boxing career.
Gary Wilder expressed discontent with Scott’s training approach, feeling that Deontay is being pushed to become a traditional boxer when he is more comfortable as a slugger. According to Gary Wilder, Deontay’s performance suffers when he tries to adapt a more technical style. Despite not communicating with his son since the fight in Saudi Arabia, Gary plans to share his advice with Deontay when they next speak.
Deontay Wilder’s current professional record stands at 43-4-1, with 42 knockouts to his name. His only win under Malik Scott’s coaching was against Robert Helenius by first-round knockout, with losses to Tyson Fury and Joseph Parker besides the recent defeat to Zhang.
