Five years ago, Deontay Wilder had every reason to be bitter. Since 2015, he has held the WBC belt close to his heart. Even the first fight with Tyson Fury failed to wrest the strap from his shoulders. But come 2020, the tables finally turned on boxing’s Bronze Bomber when he met Fury for the second time on what was his 10th title defense. The seventh-round knockout loss triggered a string of losses that raised the proverbial question about his future. Wilder’s accusations that Fury had reportedly ‘cheated’ in their match remained one of the highlights of the rematch.

Cut to 2025. After the second consecutive loss to Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury announced his retirement. Deontay Wilder, on the other hand, went on a year-long break following the humiliating defeat at the hands of Zhilei Zhang. Now, more than five years later, on June 27, in an attempt to breathe new life into his sagging career, the former heavyweight champion, who will turn 40 in October, will face Tyrrell Anthony at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas. However, it seems the agony of his first career loss has yet to heal.

Deontay Wilder reignites cheating accusations against Tyson Fury

Deontay Wilder was speaking with Dan Canobbio. As their discussion neared its end, Canobbio asked Wilder some random questions, like, ‘Name the opponent who hit him the hardest.’ So he asked, “What opponent did you just not like…you were just like, ‘Man, I just don’t like this guy’?” The poser clearly had Wilder pondering. As he sifted through names, the Alabaman heavyweight reckoned that it’s a tough exercise. Every fighter steps into the ring, risking their life. He respected everyone. But in saying so, he burst into laughter. However, Canobbio persisted. There should be one fighter he disliked the most. But before Wilder could answer, Canobbio blurted out a name: Fury?

Deontay Wilder didn’t call out his former opponent directly. However, his response was suggestive enough: “I mean, when you know what it is, I mean, Fury is a cheater; he’s the biggest cheater in boxing.” The response nevertheless surprised Canobbio, who asked whether the shadows of their famous rivalry still lingered. Basically, what Wilder wanted to say was that he doesn’t hate Fury. He just doesn’t mess with people like that. “Being who they are, it’s just like being a racist. If you was a racist and I knew you was a racist and I chose to still hang around you, I just know what kind of category to put you in,” he explained.

Before he called him out for the trilogy, reportedly through social media posts and videos, Deontay Wilder slammed Tyson Fury for cheating during their fights.

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The suspicions raised at the time

Recalling their first meeting, he said, “I saw in the first fight when Ricky Hatton was pulling down your glove to put your fist in the improper position. Y’all tried the same method the second time, but this time you scratched flesh out of my ears, which caused my ears to bleed.”

One of his primary accusations was that Fury had tampered with his gloves. They looked deformed or tampered with, he claimed. Basically, he was trying to imply it may have been altered to give Fury an unfair advantage. Wilder suggested that Fury may have inserted an illegal object. “I highly believe you put something hard in your glove. Something the size and the shape of an egg weight,” he reportedly said.

At one point in time, Deontay Wilder had the world in his hands. He was the most feared fighter on the planet. But, as many believe, the trilogy fight took something out of him. Perhaps it will be some time before he chases out the ghosts of those fights.

Do you foresee Deontay Wilder back in the championship race if he defeats Anthony Herndon next week?