Deontay Wilder gets brutally honest on betrayal, heartbreak, and finding "hate" before next fight

Former boxing heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder opened up about struggles in his personal life. After taking time off to focus on his health and personal well-being, Wilder is now set to make a comeback against Tyrrell Herndon.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Wilder discussed feelings of betrayal from people in his inner circle and admitted that he hit the lowest point in his life, leading to a loss of confidence in himself. He added:

"There are certain things in your life and certain people around that you would never think would break your heart, and when they do, it changes you. I never had hate in my heart, but now I do."

Wilder further stated:

"...I did get a little too soft. When life is so good and you take care of everybody and everybody is in your face... Sh*'s going good. When you don't want to do nothing for nobody and you start finding out certain things. These things start happening, man! And then you feel like you did so much for people and you didn't benefit from everyone but they benefited everything from you."

Check out Deontay Wilder's comments below (10:10):

Despite the challenging experiences, Wilder chose not to disclose the names of those involved, stating that he would reveal more about the situation at the appropriate time in the future.

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Deontay Wilder sheds light on his personal journey to full recovery: "I am fully healed"

In the aforementioned interview with Ariel Helwani, Deontay Wilder emphasized that he did not contemplatie retirement after the series of tough losses in recent fights. Instead, he was trying to stay in good shape for an eventual return to competition. He added:

"I just didn't have a certain type of date to return in because of the injuries I had and all the different things outside as well. We just wanted to make sure I was full healthy, you know... Physically, mentally and emotionally. So I had to take a wellness check, sit back and get a lot of things together in my life." [0:43]

Wilder mentioned that he suffered shoulder injuries more than once recently and could not perform essential training activities, such as throwing punches. Following an accident, he was forced to restart the healing process. Additionally, he acknowledged seeking help to address personal issues and concluded:

"I'm fully healed at this time, I don't' have no more pain at this time and all my burdens have been cut loose from me. So, I'm free. I still got to unify the division. That's one of the main things that I came in and the goal that I set forth." [2:50]

Deontay Wilder vs. Tyrrell Herndon will take place on June 27 in Kansas. It will mark Wilder's first competitive appearance since his defeat against Zhilei Zhang in June 2024.