Deontay Wilder - A spent force or legitimite heavyweight title contender?

As Deontay Wilder gets set to make his in-ring return against Tyrrell Herndon this weekend, boxing writer John MacDonald takes a look at whether the former heavyweight wrecking ball still possesses the quality and mindset to reassert himself at the top of the stacked blue-riband division.

Throughout the career of Deontay Wilder, observers have focussed on the limitations of the Alabama native; he can be ungainly, he finds himself off balance, there are gaps in his defence and he has been known to swing wildly at fresh air.

For 40 fights, these flaws did not matter, as they were counter-balanced by the type of power that could end a bout in the blink of an eye.

Opponents had to be perfect for 36 minutes, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ only had to be perfect for one second.

It was a question of if when, rather than if he would render his opponent unable to continue.

However, when the 39-year-old returns to the ring this Friday against Tyrrell Herndon, in Wichita, the familiar brutal conclusion no longer feels inevitable.

Wilder (43-4-1, 42 KOs) has lost four of his last five fights, three of those resulted in him losing by stoppage and he only scored a knockdown of his own in one of those defeats.

Why has Deontay Wilder lost his air of invincibility?

In his most recent showings, against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, the former WBC heavyweight looked like a fighter unable, or willing, to let his hands go.

Now, there are three schools of thought as to why that might be, firstly; that the brutal trilogy with Tyson Fury (in which the Englishman won twice, after their first meeting was ruled a draw) have taken a toll, both mentally and physically.

In his pomp, the American had an aura; he believed he would knockout his opponent, and often, his foes had the same opinion, even if they would not admit it.

The brutal second and third encounters with ‘The Gypsy King’ have shattered that air of invincibility.

Conversely, the 2008 Olympic bronze medallist is still the fighter he always was and Parker and Zhang were simply bad stylistic matchups.

The New Zealander utilised his fast feet to get in and out of range, his hand speed allowed him to land shots and his defensive nous limited the opportunity Wilder had to land the devastating right hand.

For his part, Zhang was a mountain of man who is surprisingly light on his feet. The physical advantages of the man from China nullified those of the American.

It is certainly true that the aforementioned pair are the best opponents ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has faced, with the exception of Fury and, if you are being generous, Luis Ortiz.

It is worth noting that breaking up the string of consecutive defeats is a first-round win over Robert Helenius, who is precisely the kind of rival the Alabama man used to render unconscious at his peak.

The third of the prevailing theories is that Wilder’s athleticism has started to diminish.

The old adage states that a fighter’s power is the last thing to go. That is true of boxers such as George Foreman who possess a thudding shot, where every punch hurts.

However, Wilder is, or was, an explosive puncher who relied on his hand and foot speed - it is possible that a slight decrease in those attributes has had a sizeable effect.

In Ricky Gervais’ stand-up show 'Animals', he told the tale of the daddy long-legs.

According to the comedian, the insect possesses the deadliest poison known to man, but lacks the delivery system to administer it, rendering the creature harmless.

If hypothesis one, or three are correct, then Wilder is now the living embodiment of this fabled beast.

However, even if that is the case, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ should have enough left in the tank to score a highlight-reel stoppage over Herndon, who has been halted every time he has stepped up in class.

Expect Wilder to be 'rejuvenated' with heavy Herndon KO

Few things stir the emotions of fight fans quite like a heavyweight knockout, few deliver them quite like Wilder.

Despite the level of opposition he faces on Friday, if his foe is sprawled on the canvas, many will believe that the American is rejuvenated.

You only need to cast your mind back to when Anthony Joshua defeated Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, suddenly there were plenty who claimed: ‘AJ is back!’ only for the Englishman to be floored on four occasions in his next bout.

Rightly, or wrongly, Wilder will be firmly back in the heavyweight mix after this weekend, and a clash with Joshua still makes a lot of sense, and money.

Yes, they should have fought when, between them, they held all the marbles, but even now, it is a matchup between two monstrous punchers.

It is likely that AJ would prefer to face off against Tyson Fury in a bout that would likely break all kinds of records in the UK, but with ‘The Gypsy King’ ostensibly retired, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ seems like a viable alternative.

Perhaps, the best of the division are now too good for both Wilder and Joshua, but the prospect of a battle between two faded lights still carries some appeal.