By Edward Chaykovsky
Unbeaten heavyweight world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder is confident ahead of his first defense with Eric “Drummer Boy” Molina on Saturday, June 13, at the Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. The fight will be televised by Showtime.
Wilder (33-0, 32 KOs) captured the world title in January with a twelve round unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne. He says Molina (23-2, 17 KOs) was the first person to step up and accept the fight under the right terms.
Some people were not pleased with Wilder's selection of Molina, but he says the other candidates, which he did not disclose, priced themselves out from the match.
“We have a lot of other opponents, but Molina was the one to understand the opportunity that lies at hand. Some people can price themselves out and some teams make it so difficult that the fight won’t happen. They can really block themselves out from getting the fight. You can have the money or the opportunity. Molina understands what the situation is, and he stepped up to the plate and understands the opportunity at hand to be the world heavyweight champion," Wilder said.