By Keith Idec

NEW YORK – Deontay Wilder knew Tyson Fury was in full promotional mode when the brash British heavyweight champion dramatically challenged Wilder in the ring Saturday night at Barclays Center.

Wilder still was bothered by Fury’s antics because Wilder wasn’t sure Artur Szpilka was healthy after suffering a brutal knockout in the ninth round of their competitive fight for Wilder’s WBC heavyweight title. Szpilka (20-2, 15 KOs) regained consciousness before he left the ring, but the Polish contender was taken from the arena on a stretcher as a precaution after Wilder’s vicious right hand knocked him out in a neutral corner.

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The hard-hitting champion’s concern for Szpilka’s health was why Wilder (36-0, 35 KOs) reacted so angrily as Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) made a WWE-esque scene in the ring.

“I don’t take the guy seriously at all,” Wilder said at a post-fight press conference early Sunday morning. “Let’s face it – we know Fury. He likes to entertain, he likes to promote, which is good thing. But I just wasn’t in the mood [Saturday night]. You know, you’ve got a man on the ground that’s hurt. He may be good right now, but we don’t know what’s gonna happen to him tomorrow. You know?

“I just wasn’t in the mood. I always say two prayers, a team prayer and an individual prayer. I never want to hurt no one, where they can’t go back to their children. Because my daughter told me she prays for me every time I fight, that I don’t get knocked out. That means a lot to me. So I don’t wanna hurt the next man. I always wanna knock my guy out, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t wanna hurt him to the point where he can’t say, ‘Hey, that was a good fight. I can live to see another day.’ ”

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.