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39-year old Deontay Wilder is coming off of back-to-back losses against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, but he believes he’s in a better place mentally now and ready for a comeback.
On June 27th Wilder will face off against Tyrell Herndon at the Charles Koch arena in Wichita, Kansas in a fight that will air live on BLK Prime PPV and PPV.com.
We spoke to Wilder ahead of his fight, and he feels like his last two losses were due to dealing with mental struggles.
“Just dealing with the things that I had to do mentally, emotionally, and physically. That’s the first and foremost. I had to understand what the hell was going on with me in his last half outing, and understand what the hell is going on. Because you don’t. You don’t go and knock 40-some guys out, and all of a sudden it just stops.”
“So I had to deal with myself first and foremost. My fight was outside of the ring, more so than inside of it.”
The former boxing champ says that he had to deal with betrayal from people close to him, which caused a major distraction.
“The main thing was dealing with betrayal of so many close and loved ones and family. You know what I mean? And that’s a hard pill to swallow because you do so much or you have done, at least I have. I have done so much for the people that are around me, certain family members, things that they have never been able to witness or have if it wasn’t for me. And to witness betrayal from them, it’s a heartbreaking feeling. I tell people all the time, betray it since I’m working on a heartbreak.”
Wilder has since gotten help to deal with his mental health issues outside of the ring.
“I had to get a sports psychologist, and I’ve been dealing with him for the last past year or so. And it’s been good.
“Before I was convincing myself that I’ll be all right, I’ll have it done. I got a long time to train in camp. I’ll get that hunger. I’ll get that mentality of going in and destroying the person that I need. But I still was battling with myself. You know what I mean? My focus was not completely there. My mind, my body wasn’t completely there because of what I was going through. It’s a harsh reality, but it’s the real one. But the thing, if you knew better, you’ll do better. So now I know better, so I can do better”
The Bronze Bomber promises fans a return to form on June 27th vs Hendon.
“It is a big deal for me. I’m not going in and taking it lightly. Although I look at it as I’m tuning myself up for my return. I’ve said what I’ve been through. I’ve said what I’ve physically had to go through. And this is the result of me now. I’ve put over 480 something rounds in camp, and I’m feeling great. I haven’t felt this way in a very a long time”
“I’m as truthful as I can as a fighter because I risk my life for others’ entertainment. And I dare not to want to deceive or want to mislead anyone. But, man, I feel great. I feel better than I’ve ever felt in a very long time. Being injury-free, being clear-minded, and having confirmation and clarity of a lot of things. So with that being said, it should be a positive outcome with what I’m trying to do, especially in my pursuit back to the top.”
Wilder will face off against Hendon Friday, June 27 from Charles Koch Arena — and streaming worldwide exclusively on BLK Prime and PPV.com