Deontay Wilder's next move in boxing is an uncertain one.
The fighter known as the "Bronze Bomber" ended 14 months of inactivity on Saturday night when he fought former WBO world heavyweight champion Joseph Parker in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but this comeback did not go to plan.
Wilder failed to impress against Parker who delivered a career best performance in the unanimous decision win and now there are questions as to whether Wilder should continue boxing.
One person who has given his thoughts on Wilder's future is former world super middleweight champion Carl Froch who believes that the American should now retire and bring an end to what has been an exciting career.
"I feel that those [Fury] fights have taken a lot out of Deontay Wilder. He got knocked down a few times, badly hurt, stopped. Those beatings, they can’t go unnoticed. They take the stamina bar down. Every single fight ages you. You leave a piece of you in that ring every time you have a bad fight," Froch said on his YouTube channel.
"I’m sorry, I think he’s about finished. I don’t think his mind’s in the right place, I think that performance was not the Deontay Wilder that I expect. This is now an old guy who’s been beaten a few times now. Twice off Fury and now Parker. And Parker, we know his levels. He’s lost to Whyte, he’s lost to AJ. This is a guy that’s not really performing at world level. I’m not saying he can’t – he might be back. Parker is back, done really well.
"I think Deontay Wilder’s finished. I don’t want to take the shine off Parker by playing down Deontay Wilder, cause that was a great performance … but I think Deontay Wilder needs to just finish."
If Wilder managed to beat Parker, it was likely that he would face Anthony Joshua at some point in 2024, but this loss has ruined those plans and leaves the former WBC world heavyweight champion at a crossroads in his professional boxing career.