Deontay Wilder urged not to accept opportunity to become two-weight world champion by Glenn McCrory

07/12/2024 11:50 AM

Former IBF cruiserweight champion Glenn McCrory wants to see Deontay Wilder hang up his gloves for good.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ has looked like a shadow of his former self since his damaging trilogy with Tyson Fury.

Wilder was battered from pillar to post by Joseph Parker in December and then knocked out cold by Zhilei Zhang last month.

Many expected him to retire after his most recent outing but no official announcement has been made as of yet.

Instead, Wilder has been linked with a move down to bridgerweight.

The newly formed division, which sits between heavyweight and cruiserweight, has a weight limit of 224lbs and is recognised by the WBC and WBA.

Evgeny Tishchenko is the WBA title holder while Lawrence Okolie is in possession of the WBC’s version of the title.

Okolie has been ordered to defend his green and gold strap against Kevin Lerena next, although WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman insists Wilder could face the winner if he submits a request to the organisation.

Wilder previously held the WBC heavyweight title before losing it to Fury in 2020.

If he lands a fight with the winner of Okolie vs Lerena and beats them then he will join an illustrious list of two-weight world champions.

But McCrory isn’t a fan of the idea.

“Absolutely not,” McCrory told talkSPORT.com when asked if he thinks Wilder should fight at the new weight. “He should have hung up his gloves a long time ago.

“One of the biggest concerns for me is the fact that his balance is gone.

“Your whole foundation as a boxer is your base, you have to have a good base, your balance has to be good.

“If you look at the greats like Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Prince Naseem Hamed they all have great bases.

“Wilder’s base is gone, completely shot. Once that’s gone, it’s get out.

“It doesn’t matter what weight you are at, you’ll get knocked out by anyone.

“But it’s very hard to walk away and say ‘You know what I’ve made my money, I’ve been world heavyweight champion, I’ve had my success, it’s time to get a day job’.”