Deontay Wilder’s teammate appears to claim he won’t retire from boxing despite Zhilei Zhang’s brutal knockout

Deontay Wilder’s teammate Tay Jones has sparked new rumors that he will not retire.

Wilder suffered a brutal knockout defeat, his head bouncing off the canvas after six rounds at the hands of Zhilei Zhang, to hand him his second consecutive defeat.

Before the fight, this was seen as a pivotal moment with the ‘Bronze Bomber’ boldly declaring that he would hang up his gloves if he lost again.

The former world champion has yet to officially inform the boxing world of his decision, but a new source appears to have plunged his future into further doubt.

Jones, a teammate of Wilder’s who was at ringside in the Middle East, wrote on Twitter: “We’re not done yet coach, stay ready.”

His cryptic post was a response to a fan who suggested Wilder’s notable decline would end his overall successful career.

It was a difficult outing for the American, who once again was a shadow of himself, having failed to let his hands go and show his monstrous power.

It was an aspect of his game he vowed to improve, after being accused of being timid during a points defeat to Joseph Parker six months previously.

Few big fights will be available now for Wilder, who finds himself a long way from the world title mix and his mega-fight with Anthony Joshua.

Calls to end the day have been greater than ever, given that he has been involved in some grueling encounters, including his trilogy with Tyson Fury.

The American returned after his two defeats against the “Gypsy King”, but the Briton’s promoter Frank Warren believes that he should have stayed away from the ring afterwards.

“The problem with fighters is that they are the first to know when their powers are gone and they are no longer the fighters they were, but they are the last to admit it,” said Warren.

“I have told fighters to retire and I have done so many times, but the problem is whether they listen.

“And unfortunately, in boxing, what they can’t do is go somewhere else.

“That’s the problem. And there are people around who keep saying, ‘Yeah, just take one more, just take one more.’

“But you can’t do that because all you do is put miles on the clock and it comes back to haunt you later in life.

“He should have hung up his gloves, I think, after fighting Tyson. Because those fights asked a lot of things from him.

“But let’s hope that it is and that it will be his last fight.”

He lit up the sport for many years, but the reception of new releases may well taint his immense legacy with the public.