Tyson Fury believes a past ruler of the heavyweight division has made a mistake by continuing with his boxing career.
Fury is currently in training camp as he prepares to end his latest retirement and return from a 16-month absence when he takes on Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on April 11.
‘The Gypsy King’ is one of the biggest names in the division, alongside current unified ruler Oleksandr Usyk and former champion Anthony Joshua, plus the likes of WBO titleholder Fabio Wardley, fellow Brit Daniel Dubois and rising star Moses Itauma.
Another notable fighter is Deontay Wilder, who was WBC heavyweight champion between 2015 and 2020, making 10 defences of his belt during that time.
As of late, Wilder has found things tough, losing multiple fights, including two against Fury, though ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has famously claimed that Fury cheated in those bouts, despite there being no evidence.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Fury says that regardless of Wilder’s beliefs, his old foe will never return to form due to now being past his peak.
“He’ll never get back to where he was because I smashed him to pieces twice, literally took years off his life. The fact he’s 40-year-old, the sand has ran out of the bottle for him.
“It’s nothing to do with defeats to me and admitting he got beat, he’ll never get back to where he was for one reason, he’s past his prime, it’s gone.
“Deontay Wilder was finished in 2021 after that terrible destruction I gave him in that third fight. That should have been curtains for him.”
Wilder will return to action on April 4 against Derek Chisora, where it could soon become clear if he does indeed have anything left in the tank.
