Deontay Wilder’s former USA boxing team-mate Michael Hunter believes The Bronze Bomber is back to his old self after enduring consecutive stoppage losses to Tyson Fury.
The pair crossed paths at the UFC Performance Institute in August while Wilder was preparing for his long-awaited return to the ring. On his way out of the gym Hunter quickly grabbed a picture with his old friend, which sent the internet into an absolute frenzy.
The snap showed a visibly leaner Wilder, with many fans raising concerns about the amount of weight he had lost during his time away from the ring.
“Bruh, the moment I posted it, boom! Comparisons! They ate him up. They chopped him up, I didn’t know they were going to do him like that,” laughed Hunter in reaction to the multiple comments suggesting Wilder looked more like a cruiserweight.
“His energy was definitely different, he was more humble, he seemed more down to earth, he has his feet on the ground. He seemed more like the Deontay Wilder that I knew back in the day, where he was before.
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing for him or not because he was winning when he was crazy and had that mindset, but he seemed more back to normal.”
Wilder and Hunter competed together at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and regularly sparred with each other ahead of international competitions.
Hunter continued: “Back then he was heavyweight, I fought at super heavyweight. I was the one fighting Tyson Fury at that time, there was no Fury vs Wilder at that time. So, I sparred with him pretty often at that point, obviously, people get better, and he definitely got better. Obviously, he can still polish up but when it comes to fighting, the timing, he’s improved a lot. But he always had that big punch.”
Wilder’s next fight takes place on October 15 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn against Robert Helenius. The fight has been elevated to a WBC eliminator bout with the winner expected to face Andy Ruiz Jr in a final eliminator for a shot at Fury’s green strap.