By Luis Sandoval
Heavyweight Deontay Wilder (29-0, 29KOs) has shown tremendous power as he has knocked out all 29 of his opponents with 16 of those knockouts coming in the very first round. Sergei Liakhovich was Wilder’s latest victim as he was knocked out in a matter of minutes two weeks ago and posed little to no threat to the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist.
Wilder has now reached a point in his career where the level of competition will continue to rise and he will be testing his power and skill against the bigger names of the division. While Wilder is still a few fights away from a title shot, his aspirations are to be able to dethrone the Klitschko brothers before they exit the sport.
“This is the moment that I’m preparing myself for. I feel like I don’t want to fight for a vacant heavyweight title belt. The Klitschko’s have it, they’re the champions. They’ve been keeping them damn near a decade and that’s who I want to take it from. I feel like it wouldn’t be an honor if I took it from somebody else” Wilder would tell BoxingScene Radio.
The Klitschkos currently have the heavyweight division in a choke hold as they hold all 4 major title belts. Both Vitali and Wladimir have always made it clear they will not fight each other so all roads to be a heavyweight champion currently lead to them.
While some fighters might want to wait until the two dominant giants retire and free up the titles, Deontay doesn’t them want them to go anywhere. If he’s going to win a championship, he wants to take it out of the champion’s hands; anyone who wants to do it differently is dealing with a fear factor.
“My thing is I want to beat them for it. I can retire after beating them. I became the heavyweight champ of the world and I got it from the champ that had it. Anybody that just wants to be the champ and fight for a vacant [title], they’re scared. I’ll say they’re scared. I feel so much differently. I have a different opinion about that. I definitely don’t want them to retire” said Wilder.
Wilder certainly has the height, size and strength to match up evenly with either Klitschko brother. A fight with them probably won’t happen soon as Wilder is still garnering experience and would benefit from taking on a few challenges before gunning for the crown. The Klitschkos are aging but Wilder hopes they stick around long enough to get a crack at them.
You can listen to Deontay Wilder’s interview in its entirety by listening to the BoxingScene Radio podcast: http://tobtr.com/s/5131423
You can follow Luis Sandoval on Twitter @Truewest007. You can also tune in to BoxingScene Radio, Boxingscene’s official audio show every Tuesday from 6-8PM PST with hosts Ernest Gabion, Luis Sandoval, and Ryan Burton.
