By Edward Chaykovsky
WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (35-0, 34KOs) has promised to punish challenger Artur Szpilka when they collide on Saturday night. It will be the first heavyweight world title fight in Brooklyn in 115 years.
The event takes place at Barclays Center, with unbeaten heavyweights Charles Martin and Vyacheslav Glazkov fighting for the vacant IBF heavyweight world championship in the co-feature. The doubleheader will air live on Showtime at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Szpilka has been promising to put Wilder to sleep, to close the mouth of the heavy favorite. The Polish fighter feels he is quicker, more accurate and has enough boxing ability to take Wilder out.
"I'm mobile and agile. My accuracy and my power is the best out there. Artur Szpilka is in for a world of pain," Wilder said. "2016 is my year. I mean what I say. I feel it inside of me. Szpilka says he's ready but he's just trying to promote himself. I really mean what I say. I consider myself the most athletic heavyweight in the division today."
Wilder is still focused on a goal of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion. Tyson Fury owns the WBO/IBO/WBA world titles. After Saturday, either Glazkov or Martin will own the IBF's version. Fury has to make his next defense in a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko. Wilder is planning to go after whoever owns the belts.
"My goal is to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and whoever has those belts is going to have to deal with me," Wilder said. "We're on a mission. Everything that has happened has been planned. Everything seems to happen at the right time in my career and my life. I was meant to do this. Boxing was my calling in life."
Should Wilder get past this Saturday's fight, he has to make a mandatory defense against Olympic gold medal winner Alexander Povetkin. The Russian fighter is planning to sit ringside at Wilder's fight. The two teams are already negotiating the terms of their expected fight.