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Boxing

Former world champion hints at possible retirement ahead of huge fight this weekend

Former world champion hints at possible retirement ahead of huge fight this weekendMark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
A loss could be the end of one fighter's career.

Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has hinted that retirement is a big possibility if he loses to Zhilei Zhang this weekend. 

The pair will go head-to-head on the Queensberry vs. Matchroom 5v5 card live on DAZN, with Wilder representing Team Matchroom in the first of its kind event. 

But while promotional bragging rights are at stake, Wilder is aware that his career is on the line and needs the win if he wants to prolong his career in boxing. 

Wilder last fought in December against former WBO champion Joseph Parker and it was a disappointing night for the American who was comfortably beaten. 

Now the "Bronze Bomber" sees this clash with Zhang as an opportunity to correct what went wrong in his meeting with Parker and he explained why in an interview with DAZN

"I’ve just to go in there and be me, do what I know I can do," Wilder said.

"I’ve trained hard for it, during the last fight I trained hard as well, but I could not pull the trigger. I saw certain things, but my body would not react.

"That was because of the long layoff and certain things that we did in camp we could have changed up. Certain things that I could have listened to, certain people that didn’t and that kind of messed certain things up.

"But all that’s in the lesson of things, and now we have a second opportunity to correct a lot of things."

Wilder then made a big call when it came to what the future holds if he is unable to beat Zhang. 

"It’s going to be a different fight this time around, and if it’s not a different fight, then retirement is definitely highly considered."

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