By Rick Reeno
MGM Grand, Las Vegas - Even Hall of Fame promoter Don King was caught in the crossfire, as WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1, 21KOs) and mandatory challenger Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32KOs) were trading verbal bombs during Thursday's final press conference.
The two fighters will collide in a Showtime televised main event on Saturday night
At one point, Wilder turned his attention to King, who promotes Stiverne. Wilder made allegations that Stiverne was going to dump King in favor of a promotional deal with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Stiverne lives in Las Vegas and trains out of the Mayweather Boxing Club.
"There have been a lot of stories going on. A lot lies. A lot of lies going on around here. Seeing videos of me being hurt and all that junk. I had heard some sh*t too. Don, I heard if there is any kind of chance of them winning - they plan on getting rid of you Don. If a man's going to lose his job, he needs to know upfront. That's what I heard. Since they train in the Mayweather gym, they are going to get Mayweather to sign him. They will leave Don. That's what I heard," Wilder stated.
Over the last few years, there has been a rocky relationship between Stiverne and King - but the champion set the record straight when he spoke to the press.
"I d like to thank my promoter, who I'm staying with. Now you heard it [from me]," Stiverne said.
