Is Deontay Wilder Mentally Fit Enough to Continue his Career?
Whether one is a professional power-lifter, gymnast or prizefighter, the biggest element of success is mental toughness. Without this, the rigors of the demanding task will certainly crush the unprepared. In the past, former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KO’s) has shown undeniable mental toughness and extreme physical grit. The hard-hitting Alabaman has been forced to pick himself up off the canvas, weather severe beatings, competed with a torn bicep and even fought with a broken hand more than once.
From this aspect, there is no denying Wilder’s past displays of courageousness. The question is though, is this still the case? When last in the ring, the Bronze Bomber suffered his second professional loss to Tyson Fury. Actually, these were back-to-back losses. Following this first stoppage loss, February 22, 2020, Wilder accused the Gypsy King of a laundry list of infractions that included converting a coach into a traitorous spy, drugging him, tampering with his gloves and loading his gloves with weights.
When the Bronze Bomber leveled these numerous accusations against Fury, some saw merit in them. On the other hand, the greater majority of folks interpreted the behavior as either being a poor loser or delusional. Now that he has suffered the second loss, the concern for his mental well-being has begun to deepen.
PINK ELEPHANTS AND RIDING THE MILKY WAY
The reason for this new worry is due to Wilder’s current talking point. A self-proclaimed spiritual man, the Bronze Bomber has always talked at length about his belief and trusting in the energy that others give off. Now however, the Alabaman is taking his trust and faith in the spirit world to new extremes.
In the direct aftermath of his second loss at the hands of Fury, Wilder assured that he had many more years of boxing in him and promised to be a champion again. Yet, while conducting an interview with Marca, he revealed that his career could be contingent on the beneficial outcome of taking a psychedelic plant.
“I think I’m going to take a trip that I have to take. I’m thinking about doing Ayahuasca. That’s going to be my decision-making process. Ayahuasca is something you take to take a spiritual journey, you’re using DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) and things like that. I’m really interested in that, getting shamans and things like that, I want to go on this journey, this path… It will help me navigate my decision making about whether I want to return to the sport or not.”
WHAT’S IT GOING TO BE?!
To most, this will certainly sound hairbrained. What is more troubling than his unorthodox methods is the fact that his desire to return is this seemingly flimsy. Normally, one would imagine that after a day or so of independent soul searching combined with a hard conversation with his immediate family would be all that was needed. Having to track down a jungle shaman to guzzle a mind-bending elixir to embark on a spiritual odyssey to determine what you already said you want to do is rather odd. Therefore, with this latest turn of events, it will certainly be interesting to see what is next for Deontay Wilder! Yet, no matter what is in store for him, 3Kings Boxing will be there to report the news!
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By: Bakari Simpson
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