Defunct former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and assistant Curtis Harper have reportedly signed contracts for an April 26 fight to be shown on Atlanta’s BLK Prime.
Wilder vs. Harper
Harper, 36, has some sharp jabs, making him a threat to defeat the fiery, revered ‘Bronze Bomber’ Wilder. A knockout loss to Harper should be considered the end for Deontay. A loss to this level of fighter would signal that the Alabama native is not capable 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, who hasn’t won a fight in three years since 2022 and has lost four of his last five fights.
Many fans feel that Wilder should retire already. From 2012 to 2018, he looked like a shadow of the fighter he was at the height of his career.
In the 6’7″ Bronze Bomber’s last fight, he was viciously knocked out in the fifth round by two-time Olympian Zhilei Zhang on June 1, 2024 in Riyadh.
Turki Al-Sheikh he didn’t give up on Wilder despite falling in his previous fight 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 was not included in Turki’s big event on the 22nd. February event in Riyadh. Did he give up on him?
Deontay looked timid and afraid to strike in his losses to Zhang and Parker. He mostly held back, positioning himself as if he was going to throw, but he didn’t let go of his hands. The question is whether that’s because of his coach, Malik Scott, or his age. It could also be that because of two knockout losses to Tyson Fury, Wilder became nervous, afraid to throw because he was afraid someone would fight back. So Fury beat him.
Harper’s Big Beast
Harper has been busy in 2024, winning four fights against obscure second-tier opposition. In 2023, he fought three times, losing to Richard Torrez, Guido Vianello and Damian Knyba. Harper made it to the eighth round against the hard-hitting Torrez before being stopped.
If he can land that long against Wilder, he has an excellent opportunity to beat him because it doesn’t take much to knock out the Bronze Bomber these days. Fury’s slap stopped him twice, and he couldn’t break out of the wet paper bag.
