Deontay Wilder hits another snag as questions arise over his career

Question marks are beginning to swirl over the boxing career of Deontay Wilder.

The 37-year-old hasn't stepped into a ring in 11 months, and a fresh delay now means it could be 18 months before he returns to action.

Recent reports suggest Wilder will face Anthony Joshua, however the UK media are reporting that AJ is pondering another fight in December.

As a result, Wilder may not be able to return to the ring until April in a Saudi Arabian blockbuster, which would throw his career into serious question.

Not enough fights

Although Wilder fought Robert Helenius last October, the soon to be 38-year-old has only fought twice in almost three years.

With just three years left in his heavyweight career given he's said to be planning to walk away at 40, Wilder doesn't have much time left.

Given he's stalled on fighting Andy Ruiz Jr. in a stipulate WBC mandatory eliminator, it appears he pushed for a fight against Joshua.

World Boxing News reports that Premier Boxing Champions promoter Al Haymon worked tirelessly to make Wilder vs Ruiz a reality, only for Wilder to look at other options when the time to make it official came.

As a result Ruiz broke off ties with Tom Brown, who initially booked the fight.

Retirement for Wilder?

Given he has rarely stepped in the ring in recent years, question marks remain over Wilder's career. The fact he only seems interested in facing Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk or Joshua doesn't help matters either.

The Ruiz fight would have helped matters, as he would certainly be battling ring rust due to a lack of activity if he only returns to the ring next April.