By Keith Idec

Deontay Wilder is well aware that his bravado rubs some people the wrong way.

Just don’t expect the heavyweight knockout artist to change his audacious approach toward promoting his career. It’s all part of the unbeaten WBC champion’s plan to expand his brand and land the huge fight he really wants – a showdown with British superstar Anthony Joshua.

The 6-feet-7, 220-pound Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs), who’ll fight Cuban southpaw Luis Ortiz (28-0, 24 KOs, 2 NC) on March 3 in Brooklyn, explained his promotional philosophy during an interview with Showtime following an open workout Thursday night in Lake Balboa, California.

“People need to know who the heavyweight champion of the world is,” Wilder said. “America’s got a bad man. We got an ass-whooper right here in America. I think it’s important people understand that and people should know who that is. And, you know, for that reason, that’s why I do the things I do. That’s why I’m so competitive. That’s why I speak the way I speak.

“Sometimes, you know, it may annoy people, it may get on people’s nerves. I never hear them in front of my face, but I understand it. I do it to show people that I’m gonna speak it and you’re gonna see me deliver it. And I think you get the most respect when you say you’re gonna do something and you do it.”

The 32-year-old Wilder acknowledged that he learned some of what he does from Muhammad Ali, the most masterful self-promoter boxing has ever seen.

“Look at Ali – people hated him,” Wilder said. “They said he was a big mouth, that he ran his mouth too much. But he proved himself many a times. And that’s the things I wanna do. I wanna speak what I say I’m gonna do, and you can watch me work.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.