Deontay Wilder has dismissed retirement rumours, insisting he plans to fight for another decade. The 39-year-old former heavyweight champion, who suffered back-to-back losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang before a knockout win over Tyrrell Herndon in June, says he feels far from finished.
“I got 10 years left,” Wilder told The Ariel Helwani Show. “Will I commit fully to that or not? I got my 10 years left to do what I got to do, to enjoy myself while I can in this little moment of me being here, and I'm gonna have a damn good time doing it.”
Wilder doubled down on his claim that he will fight until he is 50, citing heavyweight longevity. “Most definitely. You’ve got to understand, in the heavyweight division, we tend to go a little bit longer than the rest,” he said. “Being the bigger guys, the division is not as packed as the smaller divisions. We don't take too much damage as the smaller guys. You see Bernard Hopkins, he went to about 49, 50.”
The American, who boasts a 44-4-1 record and remained undefeated until his trilogy with Tyson Fury, also reiterated his interest in fighting former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. “It’s just a matter of time,” he said.
