Wilder said during a lengthy interview Brian Custer that he has experienced lasting psychological effects from his past rivalry with Tyson Fury, saying, “I have PTSD from past situations, but I’ve experienced it with someone.”

The confession was unusually direct from a former heavyweight champion whose identity was based on intimidation and emotional certainty. He said he had since sought aid, but his comments quickly turned back to Fury, the opponent who handed him two stoppage defeats and ended his title reign.

Competitive rage remains key to Wilder’s comeback

This reference was not accidental. Wilder launched a sustained attack on Fury’s character, accusing him of cheating and directing anger at those who supported him. The emotional intensity of these remarks revealed that Fury remains central to Wilder’s thinking, even as he prepares to restart his career against a modern opponent. Players who have fully moved on rarely revisit venerable failures with such urgency years later.

Wilder’s career stalled after the end of the Fury trilogy in October 2021 when he was stopped in the 11th round of their third fight. This defeat followed a seventh-round rematch loss that had already cost him the WBC heavyweight title, which he had successfully defended ten times. He returned in 2022 with a knockout victory over Robert Helenius, but his activity has since declined and he no longer holds the same position of power he once held in the division.

His comments during the interview showed that the fighter was trying to emphasize the importance of this fight while carrying the emotional weight of these losses. Wilder described himself as indispensable to the future of boxing, saying the sport was incomplete without him, but his words repeatedly returned to Fury rather than detailing specific steps towards rebuilding his position.

Seeing a fighter who has built his entire career on being the “Brown Bomber,” that unstoppable, intimidating force, admit to having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) marks a sea change in his public persona.

While he didn’t blame any fight directly, his “shadow of himself” observation is supported by his recent achievements.

Breakdown after rage
Since the brutal finale of the trilogy in 2021, he has indeed struggled to find the same rhythm:

• Robert Helenius (2022): He looked like the venerable Wilder after the first-round KO, but it was a quick punch that didn’t require much mental focus.
• Joseph Parker (2023): This is where the “shadow” really came into play. He looked indecisive and listless, losing by a wide unanimous decision.
• Zhilei Zhang (2024): Another rugged night where he looked timid before being stopped in the fifth round.
• Tyrrell Herndon (2025): He picked up a TKO victory here, but he was fighting a lower-tier opponent compared to the elite level he was accustomed to.

There is a belief that the main cause is Fury’s fighting, which makes sense when you look at the way he talks. Even in recent interviews where he mentions seeking aid from a sports psychologist, his conversation almost always returns to the Fury, betrayal and emotional baggage from that era.

Deontay recently mentioned that the “betrayal” from those around him at the time affected him more than the actual losses, suggesting that “post-traumatic stress disorder from past situations” may be as much about the people around him as the blows he took. At the age of 40, dealing with this level of mental burden is quite a challenge, especially in a division where players like Usyk play.

Wilder, now 40, remains one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history, and that alone ensures he will continue to attract attention. The knockout power doesn’t go away overnight and it opens the door for him to get back into meaningful fights if he stays vigorous. However, his interview made it clear that his comeback is not just about chasing modern opponents. It is also a confrontation with the chapter that changed his career.