Malik Scott’s career in the sport of boxing has been less than conventional. He has been involved in big fights as a fighter and a trainer, and his path to becoming a trainer was interesting, to say the least. Scott has been a mainstay in the heavyweight division, both fighting and coaching some of the best fighters in the division.
An Impressive Career
Malik Scott’s career began inside the ring as a boxer in the heavyweight division. His career started in the year 2000 with a TKO victory over Tony Foster. Scott’s career got off to a hot start as he won his first 35 bouts. Though none of those 35 wins were over any notable opponents, a streak of 35 wins in the heavyweight division is nothing short of impressive. However, once the competition improved, Scott’s fighting career slowed.
After a split decision draw against Vyacheslav Glazkov, Scott’s first high-level opponent, Scott took on Derek Chisora. At the time, Chisora was one of the top heavyweights in the division. Scott held his own against the powerful British heavyweight. But with 16 seconds left in the sixth round, Chisora backed the Philidelphia boxer against the ropes and dropped him with a hard right hand. While Scott found his way back to his feet, the ref called the fight, and Chisora was declared the victor by TKO.
Scott’s next bout was a tune-up victory against Grover Young. This led to another fight against a top heavyweight, Deontay Wilder. Wilder was 30-0 at the time and coming off a fourth-round KO victory over Nicolai Firtha. This fight with Wilder was by far the worst of Scott’s career. He was embarrassed by Wilder, suffering a knockout just 90 seconds into the fight. On top of the sad loss, many fans and critics have speculated that Scott took a dive. Fans booed as the replay of the KO was shown, and it looked like Wilder barely hit Scott. Malik Scott ended his career with a loss to yet another top heavyweight, Luis Ortiz, ending his career in 2016 with a record of 38-3-1.
The Leap to Trainer
After Malik Scott finished his professional boxing career, he jumped into a training career. In 2021, Scott took over as head trainer for the fighter who knocked him out in just 90 seconds, Deontay Wilder. Wilder and Scott have known each other for over a decade. Not only were the two opponents, Scott was also a training partner of Wilder’s in Alabama. In an interview with Boxing Scene, Scott discussed the connection between him and Wilder. “There’s a real connection there. I basically became a very close team member. We always went over game plans, we always went over strategy, I would give him tips if I’d seen openings, but I always did it in a respectful way, that I never would step on Jay Deas and Mark Breland’s toes.”
Being Wilder’s trainer threw Scott into the fire. Some saw the biggest fight in the Bronze Bomber’s career as their first fight. Wilder was getting set to take on his biggest rival, Tyson Fury, in the third fight of their thrilling trilogy. The fight came after the first loss in Wilder’s career. Tyson Fury TKO’d him in the seventh round, and later others criticized him he blamed his 40-pound walk in costume as the reason he lost.
Scott’s first fight with Wilder was a wild one. Wilder had some early success but Scott caught him with a powerful right hook and knocked him down in the third round. Wilder got his mojo back the very next round when he hurt Fury and knocked him down twice in the last minute of round four. Unfortunately, the Bronze Bomber was unable to capitalize on his early success as Fury took over the fight. Wilder had limited success for the rest of the fight as The Gypsy King out boxed him. Fury knocked Wilder down in the tenth round with a thunderous right hand before dropping him with another right hook to end the fight in the eleventh. Scott’s first fight as a trainer was certainly one for the history books. Since then, Wilder and Scott have had one fight together, a KO victory over Robert Helenius.
Not Afraid of the Spotlight
Malik Scott is no stranger to the spotlight and controversy. As previously mentioned, Scott suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Deontay Wilder. A 90-second KO loss is bad enough, but many thought that Scott threw the fight. When looking at the replay of the KO, it appears that Wilder’s strong right hand doesn’t connect with Scott enough to floor him. This led to many fans speculating that Scott took a dive, throwing the fight and giving Wilder the victory.
Scott has also been very vocal about why Wilder deserves a title fight. He has called out both Anthony Joshua and Olexander Usyk. Scott has also said that he thinks Joshua will be a good fight for Wilder because, as he stated, Usyk seems to be focused on a fight with Fury. Scott seems to believe that The Bronze Bomber can take down the Ukrainian superstar, despite the fact that many think otherwise. Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn went so far as to say that Wilder wouldn’t win a single round against Usyk.
Malik Scott’s career in boxing has been very interesting. Through hard work and dedication, he now finds himself in the corner of one of the best boxers in the heavyweight division. He has preached fundamentals and led Wilder to a great victory over Robert Helenius and a great performance against Tyson Fury. With potential big fights on the horizon, Scott could find himself involved in some of the biggest fights in this heavyweight era.
