Deontay Wilder Puts Alabama on His Back in Title Shot

By Francisco Salazar

The way he has presented himself in the last couple of days, Deontay Wilder looks like a public figure.

He was brash at Thursday’s press conference in the lead up to Saturday’s heavyweight showdown against Bermane Stiverne.

One could attribute it to be a combination of confidence and bravado. But you can describe Wilder as a salesman, selling himself as the next WBC heavyweight champion.

Stiverne will defend his WBC title against the unbeaten Wilder tonight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout will be televised live on Showtime, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT.

Wilder has faced 32 fighters and he has demolished those 32. None of his 32 fights have gone past the fourth round and most of the level of opposition has faced has been labeled as soft or mediocre.

That is no secret, but Wilder believes he has the right formula to defeat Stiverne, who defeated Chris Arreola on May 10 to win the vacant title.

Wilder has extraordinary power, most notably his left hook. But will that left hook be enough to drop Stiverne, who has shown he can take a punch in his two fights against the hard-hitting Arreola?

Wilder and Golden Boy, who promotes him, think so.

It has been a long and winding road since Wilder won a Bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games. That long journey also includes staying in his home state of Alabama (He was born and raised in Tuscaloosa) and not being swayed away to the brighter lights and “better” gyms in Southern California and the East Coast.

Winning a world title would be one thing, but representing Alabama would be off the charts for Wilder on a personal level.

“Many people try to draw me away from Alabama,” Wilder told Boxingscene.com in a recent interview. “I’m always told, ‘We have this. We have that.’ I stay true to my roots. I'm a very humble guy. Alabama is a great place. Not only is it a laid back place, but it's a great place to raise a family. It's isolated. I don't have much going on. I have my best focus there. I live and train there in Alabama.”

“People think Evander Holyfield is from Atlanta, but he's from Alabama. They say Joe Louis is from Detroit, but he's from Alabama. I get the opportunity to be the first to train and still live in Alabama to win a world title. I want to bring it back. It'll mean a lot to me.”

Wilder can come across as a brash and open man in recent months. And why not? He became the mandatory challenger, is earning a seven-figure purse for his fight on Saturday, and is beloved in his home state.

There are the obvious detractors and probably deservedly so.

But there have been some fight fans who have used social media to leave negative or vile messages to Wilder. One of them was Charlie Zelenoff, who even challenged him to fight. Wilder accepted and both squared off in a Los Angeles area gym in May. Their “sparring session” of Wilder beating Zelenoff went viral on YouTube within a few days.

“My life has changed forever (ever since I’ve been in the public eye),” said Wilder. “I'm a very private guy. I like to keep everything I do private. Ever since high school, I used to have many girls, but you would never know, because I was always private. Now, any little thing I do goes vital all over the world. I hate that about my career: being famous."

“I've heard criticisms all the time. My skin is thick, but there's levels to that. After years and years (of hearing that), people get tired of hearing the same thing.”

But Wilder used the Zelenoff incident as a teachable moment.

“The real reason I came to him was because I genuinely cared about the guy, even though I had a lot of anger in me. There were a lot of things I wanted to do in my mind, but God has blessed me so much. It's okay to express yourself. We live in a world of free speech, but there's certain levels to it. Dont'mess with a man's family and don't use racial slurs."  

Tonight’s fight could go either way. There is anticipation that each fighter could knock the other out in a slugfest.

Wilder may succumb to Stiverne’s experience and power. Even if he does, Wilder still has a future in the sport. His athletic build and power in a weak heavyweight division could still earn him an immediate shot at another contender or world champion.

But the ultimate goal is for Wilder to win the WBC title and return to Alabama with the belt. Wilder could also be the first American in a decade that would have a portion of the heavyweight championship with a win on Saturday.

“I'm here.”
 
Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Salazar also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing