"All was quite dire." Wilder's coach broke his silence following the defeat to Zhilei

Trainer Malik Scott, for the first time publicly, addressed the defeat of Deontay Wilder (43–4–1, 42 KO) in the bout against Zhang Zhilei (27–2–1, 22 KO).

"Sometimes, such is the nature of boxing. If you've had a stellar bout, then all your preceding efforts were justified. Conversely, if you've had a dismal evening, that's what transpires.

If you were to ask me what was the most challenging aspect of the bout with Chisora, I wished for nothing more in life than victory for Deontay in this match. This victory was more coveted than any other in his career because we underwent an incredible training camp.

Most disappointing for me was that Deontay found himself knocked out precisely by the punch I instructed him to avoid. Not only did we fail to triumph, but we weren't even close to victory. All was quite dire. It's one of those moments," stated Scott.

On June 1, the "Bronze Bomber" suffered a definitive loss to Zhang Zhilei. The Chinese boxer secured a commanding victory over the American with a knockout in the fifth round. Overall, Wilder has lost four out of his last five fights.

Promoter Frank Warren remarked after Deontay's defeat that he should have retired after his second loss to Fury.