Deontay Wilder fails to make excuses after Joseph Parker defeat as he refuses to rule out retirement
Deontay Wilder refused to rule out retiring as he stated he has 'no excuses' following his one-sided defeat against Joseph Parker.
The 38-year-old lost on a unanimous decision at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia, with judges scoring the bout, 118-111, 118-110 and 120-108 in the New Zealander's favour.
It leaves his reported agreed dust-up against heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua in March in tatters.
Fans speculated prior to his defeat on Saturday night that he was ready to make excuses after walking to the ring in a royal outfit - a reference to his defeat against Tyson Fury in 2020.
Though speaking in his post-fight interview, Wilder, who celebrated after the final bell, bizarrely claimed he did enough to win - despite being outboxed in almost every round.
Speaking after the third loss of his 47-fight career, he said: "I did [think he did enough to win], but my timing was off a little bit.
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"Joseph did a great job in avoiding my punches. We make no excuses tonight, it was a good fight and we move on to the next thing."
Describing his game plan having, he stated: "It was just to stay calm and throw a couple of jabs and set up the right hand.
"Like I said, timing was off a little bit, he did a good job of avoiding and ducking. I did feel like I had the upper hand, but things happen."
After admitting the pre-fight talk about his potential clash with AJ was a distraction, he said of his future: "We'll see what happens, we have a little bit more left.
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"But I've done a great job in managing my money and investing, but I'm a happy fighter."
He continued: "I'm a warrior, I'll be back soon, but if not, it's been an enjoyment, a pleasure and I appreciate everyone for their love and support that they've been giving me over the years."
Pressed whether has still has the same 'fire' he had earlier in his career, Wilder remarked: "I don't know, life has calmed me down.
"I've found a lot of peace in my life, happiness and I've been wearing this smile all week long, and I'm going to keep wearing it, win, lose or draw.
"That's what it's all about, being a warrior coming in and giving it all you've got, and if you come up short, you just get back up and you keep trying, that's what life is all about.
"You can't quit, you can't give up, you must keep going for we all have greatness in us."
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