Deontay Wilder has admitted he flirted with retiring after back-to-back stoppage defeats by Tyson Fury.

Wilder drew with Fury in 2018 to cling on to his heavyweight world title in controversial fashion. But he was stopped in first the rematch and then the trilogy fight as Fury brought their rivalry to a concussive end. Wilder has fought just once in the subsequent two years; a first-round KO of Robert Helenius 14 months ago.

And as he prepares to take on Joseph Parker this weekend in a fight which could lead him to a mega-money showdown with Anthony Joshua, Wilder revealed he considered hanging up his gloves following his first and second career defeats.

“I was close to retiring. I just started enjoying my family a little bit more,” he said. “I have eight children. I was able to be more involved, more active in their lives. “It was very enjoyable to see my youngest children grow and take them on certain trips, like camping, going on certain adventures with them, and seeing their interests in life and what they think about certain things.

“A lot of people say ‘Is he depressed? There are so many things going on with me, what’s wrong?’ I tell them it’s none of those things. I’ve never changed up. There’s nothing I do now that I haven’t done before. The way I run my life is because I’m happy and at peace. Because of how I came up with nothing, I appreciate everything.

“The smallest little thing in life, the smallest bit of everything, it comes and it goes. Money comes slow and it goes fast. You have to appreciate the simplicity of life. Life is not promised. I’ve always enjoyed my family, the people around me, and that’s the secret to having a happy life.”

And Wilder is is confident Parker won’t stand in his way of the mega-fights in 2024. “I’m in a great place, a happy place, and I envision knocking him out,” he added. “I’m the Bronze Bomber. Men and women lie but numbers don’t. Joseph Parker said he’s very confident and coming to win and knock me out.

“But I find that kind of hard to believe because you have this confidence as a challenger but not as champion. A lot of these guys are scared of what I’m going to do. It’s not just words. It’s my true actions. “Because as I said, the numbers do not lie. It just don’t . And when you see that, it puts fears in you knowing you could be next.”