​In “Obsession,” the year’s most talked-about horror film, a friend-zoned young man snaps a One-Wish Willow in the hope of forcing a young woman to fall in love with him. Soon enough, despite the young woman’s earlier indifference, she is infatuated with the young man and their friends are shocked, unsure how the young man has suddenly become the apple of this young woman’s eye — that is, her obsession.The end the film is a commentary on coercion and codependency. The young man’s dream swiftly descends into a nightmare and, without wishing to spoil things, nobody lives happily ever after. Its message is therefore both clear and obvious: be careful what you wish for.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn boxing, a sport with horror-film tropes, there are no One-Wish Willows, but there are cautionary tales. Quite often, in fact, boxers are reminded to be careful what they wish for, having spoken out of turn, bitten off more they can chew, or received something not earned or deserved — a title shot, say, or a lucrative payday. This granted wish, or gift, can be the result of either a good manager, a phony ranking, or a desire on the part of a champion to have a relatively risk-free title defense. Whatever its origin, the outcome is usually the same. Usually, the fight goes the way we expect it to go. Usually, but not always, the undeserving fighter is left hurt, humbled, and full of regret.Yet, in the spirit of the horror film, they all go back for more. Even though we, the audience, know what waits on the other side of the door, and even though we yell at them not to do it, fighters tend to still push it open. They are, by design and nature, risk-takers and dreamers. They go where most wouldn’t dare to go. They believe when they shouldn’t.In the case of Deontay Wilder, the former WBC heavyweight champion, there is still reason to believe. Though he turned 40 in October, Wilder is these days fueled by two cliches: the first, “Age is just a number”; the second, “The last thing to go is a fighter’s punch.” These sentiments alone are enough to justify Wilder, the sport’s hardest puncher, carrying on, throwing more punches. Added to that, he is winning again, having outlasted Derek Chisora, a heavyweight of similar vintage, in April. That win, a 12-round decision, fixed some of the reputational damage of a 2-4 run in his previous six fights and gave Wilder hope of one last title shot. All he needed, perhaps, was another significant win against a man of better stock than Chisora and he could quite conceivably again fight for a heavyweight title.Deontay Wilder has won back-to-back fights since his late-career slump.(Adam Davy – PA Images via Getty Images)Or, better yet, one of the champions could do Wilder a favor — grant him a wish.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOleksandr Usyk, for instance, who himself turns 40 in January, knows more than most what it is to suffer and persevere. He is also acutely aware of the