By Hans Themistode
January 1, 2023
Source: Boxing Scene
Photo Source: Boxing Scene
Malik Scott broke down in tears as Deontay Wilder roared in triumph. Following years of uncertainty surrounding his boxing career, the former heavyweight contender turned trainer successfully guided the hard-hitting star to an awe-inspiring win over Robert Helenius. But while Scott was thrilled with the outcome, he was disappointed in who ultimately didn’t show up.
After proving his dominance over former heavyweight kingpin Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk seemed to entertain the idea of sitting ringside to witness Wilder take on Helenius. Yet, despite his interest, Usyk was a no-show, opting to remain home.
Wilder, though disappointed, took out his frustrations on Helenius, stopping the fringe contender in the opening round on October 15th. With Usyk revealing that an undisputed matchup against Tyson Fury remains at the top of his wishlist, team Wilder is now weighing their options.
As Wilder continues to bang his mighty right hand against Scott’s bodyguard in preparation, the duo know good and well that a bevy of options remain at their fingertips. Although Scott is welcoming all comers, he does have a preferred choice.
“I truly believed and I thought that Usyk was gonna come to the Helenius fight," said Scott on The Good Fight with Kate Abdo. "But Usyk has major plans, only focusing on Tyson Fury. If it was up to me, Wilder would fight Anthony Joshua next.”
Joshua, however, as previously mentioned, is attempting to shake off the mental cobwebs. In back-to-back appearances against Usyk, the Englander came up woefully short. His next bout, while not officially announced, is expected to come in the first quarter of the new year with Dillian Whyte, Otto Wallin, and Jermaine Franklin emerging as the front runners.
In Scott’s opinion, it makes sense that Joshua would opt to go in the direction of a bounce-back fight. But, despite the former unified champion's need to rebuild his confidence before heading into a showdown with Wilder, Scott shrugs his shoulders.
According to the relatively new trainer, whenever the two heavyweight behemoths step into the ring against one another, the end result will be the same.
"The lack of mental strength may not be there right now because he lost two times to a smaller guy. So to go against that specimen called Deontay Wilder you may need to build yourself up to take on that kind of fight and I get it. But the advantages and the things I see Deontay doing to whatever AJ shows up, mentally tough, not mentally tough, it’s a three-round fight in my opinion."
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