Wilder said during a lengthy interview with Brian Custer that he has experienced lasting psychological effects from his past rivalry with Tyson Fury, saying, “I got PTSD of past situations but I done saw somebody for that.”
The admission was unusually direct from a former heavyweight champion whose identity was built on intimidation and emotional certainty. He said he has since sought help, but his comments quickly returned to Fury, the opponent who handed him two stoppage losses and ended his title reign.
Fury rivalry remains central to Wilder’s comeback
The reference was not casual. Wilder launched into a sustained attack on Fury’s character, accusing him of cheating and directing anger toward those who supported him. The emotional intensity of those remarks revealed that Fury remains central to Wilder’s thinking, even as he prepares to resume his career against new opposition. Fighters who have fully moved forward rarely revisit old defeats with that level of urgency years later.
Wilder’s career stalled after the Fury trilogy ended in October 2021, when he was stopped in the 11th round of their third fight. That defeat followed his seventh-round stoppage loss in their rematch, which had already cost him the WBC heavyweight title he defended successfully ten times. He returned in 2022 with a knockout win over Robert Helenius, but his activity slowed afterward, and he no longer occupies the same position of authority he once held in the division.
His comments during the interview reflected a fighter attempting to reassert relevance while still carrying the emotional weight of those losses. Wilder described himself as essential to boxing’s future, saying the sport is incomplete without him, but his words repeatedly circled back to Fury rather than outlining specific steps toward rebuilding his standing.
Seeing a fighter who built his entire career on being the “Bronze Bomber,” this unstoppable, intimidating force, admitting to having PTSD is a massive shift in his public persona.
While he hasn’t explicitly blamed a single fight, the “shadow of himself” observation is backed up by his recent record.
The Post-Fury Slump
Since that brutal 2021 trilogy finale, he has indeed struggled to find the same rhythm:
- Robert Helenius (2022): He looked like the old Wilder here with a first-round KO, but that was a quick blast that didn’t require much sustained mental focus.
- Joseph Parker (2023): This was where the “shadow” really appeared. He looked hesitant and listless, losing a wide unanimous decision.
- Zhilei Zhang (2024): Another tough night where he seemed gun-shy before being stopped in the fifth round.
- Tyrrell Herndon (2025): He did pick up a TKO win here, but it was against a lower tier of opposition compared to the elite level he’s used to.
The perception is that the Fury fights are the root cause, which makes sense when you look at how he talks. Even in recent interviews where he mentions seeking help from a sports psychologist, his conversation almost always circles back to Fury, betrayal, and the emotional baggage from that era.
Deontay recently mentioned that “betrayal” from those around him during that time affected him more than the actual losses, which suggests the “PTSD of past situations” might be as much about the people around him as the punches he took. At 40, fighting through that level of psychological weight is a tall order, especially in a division that has moved on to guys like Usyk.
Wilder, now 40, remains one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history, and that alone ensures he will continue to attract attention. Knockout power does not disappear overnight, and it gives him a pathway back into meaningful fights if he stays active. But his interview made clear that his return is not simply about chasing new opponents. It is also about confronting the chapter that altered his career.
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