EVANDER HOLYFIELD has warned Deontay Wilder to change his style ‘slowly’ and not become a new man overnight.
It comes after the American former champion hired his ex-opponent Malik Scott – who he knocked out in 2014 – as his new head coach.
Wilder has pulled back the curtain on his new training regime with a series of videos which includes more body punching, jabbing and movement.
But boxing legend Holyfield, who returns aged 58 on Saturday against Vitor Belfort, fears the Bronze Bomber could tinker with his tactics too much.
He told FightHype: “The thing is with Deontay he started boxing at a late age.
“A lot of times when somebody starts boxing at a late age, they get one good style and that’s it.
“A lot of them don’t know how to make a lot of adjustments, so I don’t know if this is him or not. He’s one of my favourite fighters.
“Stick to what you’re really good at and implement it slowly, and maybe he can and maybe not.
“There aren’t too many things you want to change from. You add some but you add things that you needed.”
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Wilder, 36, who first picked up the gloves aged 20, managed to win bronze at the 2008 Olympics after only three years of experience.
As a professional, he went 43 fights unbeaten, with 41 knockouts, until he was dethroned by Tyson Fury, 33, in their 2020 rematch.
Suddenly, despite years of relying on his power and a fairly one-dimensional approach, Wilder decided to freshen up his team.
It has seen Scott employed as lead trainer, but Holyfield hopes Wilder is not ‘thinking too much’ ahead of his trilogy with Fury on October 9.
He said: “In all these things you work on in being the very best. Is he getting it to the point where he can remember to do them as a natural thing?
“The worst thing you can do for a fighter is let somebody new come in there giving him something new to do.
“They take it all of a sudden you start thinking too much. Boxing is a reaction sport.
“If you and me were boxing, you might not be comfortable, but I’m comfortable about how far I can get to for me to make you do something that I can counter a shot.”
