By Rick Reeno
Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32KOs) found added motivation when he read an interview with WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21KOs), who was very critical of Wilder's abilities and his level of opposition.
Wilder will challenge Stiverne for his word title on Saturday night from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Showtime will televise.
During the last few weeks, both boxers have been promised brutal knockout endings and doing their fair share trashing talking. But according to Wilder the animosity between them was first born when Stiverne trashed him in an interview.
"[The animosity between us] started from an interview. It was a jealous rant towards me. It was a guy interviewing him and asked him about me, and when he asked him about me he just want into this rage. I think it was just jealousy because nobody knows who he was - he was unknown. Everybody, when the heavyweight division gets brought up they bring up Deontay Wilder, or course because of the knockouts," Wilder explained.
"I think he was just tired of everybody bring up my name so much and wondering why everybody was talking about me. The way he was using my name [in the interview], it made me feel a certain type of way towards him. If I do an interview about you, I will do it right besides you. After I saw that, I said 'I want to see that guy.'"
