Deontay Wilder isn’t known as a cheap-shot artist in the ring, and he didn’t take any while discussing the sad saga of Tyson Fury, who hasn’t fought since he dethroned Wladimir Klitschko last November because of a host of personal issues, including reportedly testing positive for cocaine last month.

“All my prayers go out to Tyson Fury,” Wilder said in a statement to RingTV.com. “I know it’s difficult to be in his situation. There are so many people in his business and have so many questions about why all these things are going on. Only God knows. I just hope he overcomes the hardship he’s going through right now and God bless him and his family.”

Fury, in what seemed like blatant trolling of the news media, announced his retirement on social media on Monday only to un-retire hours later. Wilder, the WBC heavyweight champion, has spoken of unifying the titles and hopes that Fury is serious about continuing his career so they can meet one day. Fury pulled out of an Oct. 29 rematch with Klitschko because his promoter said he was “medically unfit to fight,” an allusion to apparent mental health issues he has.

“I just want him to heal up physically and mentally and hurry up back to the heavyweight division,” Wilder said. “I think it will be a mega fight between us and I want to give the fans what they want. He’s always talking about retiring. He’s saying that because everybody is at him. People can be too harsh, especially with social media. It brings a person down. God bless him and help him get back to his family.”

Wilder (37-0, 36 knockouts) has had his own obstacles to overcome, though they are physical not mental. He has been cleared to resume workouts using his left hand and is back in the gym after shattering his right hand and right biceps in his eighth-round stoppage of Chris Arreola in July. Wilder can be seen in a video wearing a glove on his left hand and hitting the mitts as his right hand is bare. He continues to undergo physical therapy on his right arm and is targeting a return in January, a spokesman said.

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