Deontay Wilder to fight Stephan Shaw in April return match at BLK Prime PPV

Deontay Wilder will return to action against second-tier heavyweight Stephan Shaw at the BLK Prime PPV in Atlanta, Georgia in April.

Many fans have never heard of Shaw, who had a 12-year career, but he is well known to the hardcore boxing community for his fight with Efe Ajagba. Shaw will be a good barometer for Deontay’s career progress.

must-win situation

Wilder, 39, is in a dire must-win situation in his career, having lost two fights previously and four of his last five. There are many questions about whether former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss, 42 KOs) has been whitewashed. If Deontay continues to be afraid of punching, like we've seen in his four fights so far in 2020, there's a good chance he'll lose this fight.

This fight will show whether Wilder can still be considered a marketable boxer. If he can't beat Shaw (20-2, 15 KOs), it will be a sign that he needs to retire.

inflection point

Most agree that Wilder's seventh-round knockout loss to Tyson Fury in their second fight in 2020 was a turning point in their careers, with him no longer the aggressive “bronze bomber” fans once knew him to be.

Since that fight, Deontay has seemed unwilling to pull the trigger, which has resulted in a trilogy knockout loss to the light-punching Fury and defeats by gunfight-looking Joseph Parker and Zhang Zhilei. A more fearless, younger Wilder could have won all three fights.

The rise and fall of Shaw Brothers

Shaw is a strong fighter who can shoot well and return fire. He fought heavyweight contender Efe Ajagba for 10 rounds and lost narrowly on January 14, 2022. Goodall knocked out Shaw in the sixth round on July 22, 2023.

Before losing to Ajagba, the 6-foot-4 Shaw was viewed as a future contender in the division and one of the players who could potentially compete for a world title. However, he hasn't been talked about much since his loss to Ajagba. A knockout loss to Goodall further hurt the perception of him among die-hard boxing fans.

Shaw's last six games:

Jason Bergman: TKO 1
Brandon Johnson: TKO 1
Joseph Goodall: TKO 6 losses
Efe Ajagba: UD 10 loss
Liddell Booker: UD 8
Bernardo Marquez: KO 1