Former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has revealed that he never considered quitting boxing despite his recent career slump.

Wilder, who has lost four of his last five fights, is set to face Tyrrell Herndon on 27 June in what would not be his last fight. 

Many within the boxing environment had expected Wilder to announce his retirement already, given how disappointing his latest outings have been. Before losing the WBC heavyweight title to Tyson Fury in 2020, Wilder was undefeated.

Since then, it seems he has not been able to get back in form. He did stun critics and fans alike when he knocked out Robert Helenius in the first round of their 2022 bout, but he has been unable to impress since then. 

Addressing rumors of retirement concerns some months ago, Wilder said he never thought about it but was trying to figure out what was happening with him: “There were never any retirement questions in my mind whatsoever, because I couldn’t understand what was going on with me at this moment in time and pinpoint why certain things were happening.”

Speaking with Ariel Helwani recently, Wilder stressed how rumors of him retiring were fueled by people who didn’t know anything: “I’ve never thought about giving up; I never thought about quitting. I never thought about retiring.

These are all rumours and stuff, and [this is what I’m] saying — people don’t know [anything]. Most people want to be first than be correct. We are living in a world today where you want to put everything out on social media to get clicks and likes to make some money.”

He also touched on feeling betrayed, which may have affected him at some point when he care for others. But now, he is selfless and doing things for himself alone.

As for what his legacy will be, Wilder said he wanted people to know that he never gave up and always felt like there was more to accomplish, no matter how his last performance went. 

Wilder will face Herndon on 27 June at the Koch Arena in Kansas.