Dave Coldwell, veteran trainer and manager, is concerned with the mental state of former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

Back in February, Wilder was dropped and stopped by Tyson Fury in seven rounds. It was Wilder's first career defeat and he lost the world title that was captured in 2015.

Not long after suffering that defeat, Wilder began to issue a variety of controversial reasons to explain the loss. 

Initially, he claimed that his ring-walk outfit was too heavy and weakened his legs by the time the contest began. He claimed to have been completely exhausted within a few rounds.

Months later, he would make several wild claims - including an allegation that Fury loaded his gloves with egg weights. And he even accused his former co-trainer, Mark Breland, of being a double-agent and spiking the water.

Coldwell, like many others, was shocked by the statements.

"Every excuse in the book and under the sun has been used by Deontay Wilder to try and explain his defeat against Tyson Fury. I get why people have poked fun at his expense because his reasonings are elaborate and far fetched, but I have actually been quite disturbed and concerned by what Wilder has come out with. He needs someone to put their arm around him because he strikes me as someone who is really struggling," Coldwell told The Daily Mail.

"For some people a loss can completely ruin them because they can't handle it mentally. I've seen it take people down a very scary path and it's worrying to see where Wilder is heading. Everything he has said, all the conspiracies he's talked about, it doesn't come from a stable mindset. I think we can give him the benefit of the doubt when he first claimed he lost because his ring costume was too heavy. That is bad enough but I think he may have pushed the panic button with that one. 

"But to go on and throw accusations around that his trainer spiked his water and that Tyson had hid a weight in his glove, it's concerning. I have met Wilder several times and have always got on with him. We spent three weeks together when he was over at Hayemaker gym and whenever I've been in America we've spoken and had a good catch up. He's a really nice bloke and I fear he is not in the right head space at the moment. He's had such a long time to process it and accept it but the wounds have clearly not healed."

At the moment Wilder has brought forward a legal claim to enforce a trilogy fight with Fury.

There is a rematch clause which stems from the February meeting - but Fury believes the contractual obligation has expired.

Coldwell explains that a third fight should not take place until Wilder learns from that defeat and improves himself as a boxer.

"I 100 percent can say I would not want to see him go into a third fight with Fury. He's pointing the finger at everybody else rather than addressing what it was that he didn't do well enough on the night," Coldwell said.

"That tells me he hasn't gone away and tried to improve as a fighter. He's not learned from the experience and for that reason I don't believe the outcome could change."