Down and out Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and stuntman Curtis Harper have reportedly signed contracts for a fight on April 26 to be shown on BLK Prime from Atlanta.
Wilder v. Harper
Harper, 36, has some pop to his punches, making him a threat to knock out the fearless “Bronze Bomber” Wilder. The knockout loss to Harper should be seen as the end for Deontay. Losing to this level of fighter would indicate that the Alabama native is incapable of being a major player in the division.
Lance Pugmire reports that the 39-year-old Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) and Harper (18-11, 12 KOs) have signed contracts for this fight. It's a desperate situation for Deontay, as he hasn't won a fight in three years since 2022 and has been beaten in four of his five fights.
Deontay's last five fights:
- Zhilei Zhang: TKO 5 losses
- Joseph Parker: UD 12 loss
- Robert Helenius: KO win 1
- Tyson Fury: KO loss 11
- Tyson Fury: Loss by TKO 7
Many fans feel that Wilder should retire already. From 2012 to 2018, he looked like a shadow of the fighter he was at the peak of his career.
In the towering 6'7″ bronze bomber's final fight, he was viciously eliminated in the fifth round by two-time Olympian Zhili Zhang on June 1, 2024 in Riyadh.
Turki Al-Sheikh Wilder has not given up despite his previous fight falling flat on one of his cards in Riyadh in a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision loss to Joseph Parker on December 23, 2023. Interestingly, Deontay is not included in the huge Turkish bout on February 22. It happened in Riyadh. Did he abandon him?
Deontay looked timid and afraid to throw punches in his losses to Zhang and Parker. He mostly backed away, pretending as if he was throwing but not letting go of his hands. The question is whether it's because of his coach Malik Scott or his age. It's also possible that Wilder's two knockout losses to Tyson Fury made him afraid to throw for fear of being countered. That's how Fury hit him.
Harper's big shot
Harper has been busy in 2024, winning four fights against obscure top-tier opposition. In 2023, he fought three times, losing to Richard Torrez, Guido Vianello and Damian Knepa. Harper reached the eighth round against heavy puncher Torrez before being stopped.
If he can land that long against Wilder, he'll have an excellent chance of beating him because it doesn't take much to knock out a bronze shooter these days. Fury was stopped by two slaps, and he couldn't get out of the wet paper bag.
If things go bad for Deontay and he loses, it's not the end of the world. Yes, it will be Poor professionHowever, he still maintains his huge fortune of $30 million. This is reason enough to be happy. He made much of his career with his meager skills and use of only the right bazooka.
