Deontay Wilder’s father, Gary Wilder, has some strong advice for his son following the devastating fifth-round knockout loss to Zhilei Zhang: Fire your trainer.

Malik Scott, who has been friends with Deontay Wilder for years, took over as his trainer in 2021. Since then, the former WBC heavyweight champion has had a challenging run, holding a record of 1-3.

“You need somebody you’re going to respect,” Gary Wilder told USA TODAY Sports. “You don’t need a buddy to train you.”

Despite Deontay Wilder, 38, considering retirement if he lost to Zhang, his father believes it’s not too late for him to make a comeback. “I believe he’s got several good years left,” Gary Wilder said.

Shelly Finkel, Deontay Wilder’s co-manager, was terse when contacted by USA TODAY Sports. “We really have nothing to say,” Finkel initially responded via text. He later clarified that Gary Wilder is not involved in Deontay’s boxing career.

Gary Wilder noted that his relationship with his son has been strained since Scott replaced Mark Breland as trainer. However, he did attend Deontay’s third fight against Tyson Fury in 2021 at his son’s request and spent time in training camp before the fight against Joseph Parker in December 2023.

When asked about Gary Wilder’s comments, Malik Scott responded by text, “… who is Gary?” and later added, “No comment.”

Under Scott’s guidance, Deontay Wilder has faced tough losses: a knockout by Tyson Fury, a unanimous decision defeat to Joseph Parker, and a knockout loss to Zhang. His sole victory during this period was a first-round knockout against Robert Helenius.

Gary Wilder’s primary criticism of Scott is his attempt to transform Deontay into a traditional boxer. “Deontay’s always been a slugger,” Gary Wilder said. “Now Malik’s trying to train him to be a boxer, and if you look at it, you’ll see that Deontay is not comfortable where he is. As long as he tries to be a boxer, he’s not going to win. That’s the bottom line.”

Gary Wilder has not communicated with his son since the fight in Saudi Arabia but plans to share his advice when they next speak.

With Deontay Wilder’s career at a crossroads, it remains to be seen whether he will heed his father’s advice and make changes to his training team in pursuit of a comeback.