Deontay Wilder: That Was a Coward Move By Main Events

By Victor Salazar

Brooklyn, New York - WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (35-0, 34 KO’s) held court with the media in New York at the Barclays Center, where the unbeaten fighter is set to return on January 16th - but there is no opponent set and time is running out.

A frustrated Wilder explained that his team had come to terms that one possible opponent, Vyacheslav "Czar" Glazkov - who walked away from the fight earlier this week.

Glazkov's promoter, Kathy Duva of Main Events, explained to BoxingScene earlier this week that she felt her fighter faced an overall better scenario by pursing the IBF title.

After weeks of negotiations with Wilder, the unexpected happened when the IBF ordered new champion Tyson Fury to make a mandatory defense against Glazkov a few days ago.

The ruling caught everyone by surprise, including Fury, who already ruled out a fight with Glazkov and seems more likely to vacate that title. The IBF has scheduled a purse bid for next week. Pursuant to a pre-fight agreement, Fury is heading to a 2016 rematch with Wladimir Klitschko.

She claims Wilder's handlers were dragging their feet with the fight contract and by the time they received the proper paperwork - the IBF had already issued that ruling.

“As it’s the third day [since I found out Glazkov was out], I’m better but when I first found out, it was the most frustrating I ever been in my career,” Wilder told BoxingScene.com.

"Camp has started and negotiations were ongoing for two months. I think it was a coward move on their part by taking the easier route for the world title when you already had something lined up. At the end of the day if they feel it was the better choice, I’m a still come for that belt.”

Wilder believes it wasn’t Glazkov who didn’t want the fight, the big puncher places the blame on Main Events and feels Duva did not want to deal with his advisor Al Haymon

“I think it is his promoter wanting to not work with Al,” stated Wilder. “I don’t really blame Glazkov. I think it was Kathy Duva and to go an easier route. You don’t do business like that especially if you got something already lined up. You would have made more money my way and then you would have fought for the WBC belt. But no worries, I’m coming for all those belts, no matter who has them.”