By Keith Idec
Deontay Wilder ridiculed Dominic Breazeale when Breazeale’s assessment of him was relayed during a conference call last week.
Breazeale basically stated that Wilder repeats the same fundamental mistakes in every one of his fights. According to Breazeale, Wilder simply hopes his equalizing right hand will bail him out of any predicament he encounters in the ring.
Wilder laughed off the criticism from the mandatory challenger for his WBC heavyweight title.
“That’s what every opponent I have faced have said – every one of them,” Wilder said. “If it’s been 10 years, then for 10 years they’ve been screaming the same thing. And for 10 years, what have I been doing? I’m still here. I’m still a champion. These guys, you know, it’s different when you get in the ring with me. Any guy that have gotten in the ring with me or gets in the ring with me – and when I say get in the ring with me, sparring partners and future opponents, they will tell you this man is not what you think he is. But it’s good that people think that way. Simple-minded people like him think that way. Because when you get in that ring and you feel that first blow, you know that you’re in for a fight.”
Handicappers have installed the 6-feet-7 Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs) as a 9-1 favorite against the 6-feet-7 Breazeale (20-1, 18 KOs), who has lost only to Anthony Joshua (22-0, 21 KOs). England’s Joshua knocked down Breazeale twice and stopped him in the seventh round in June 2017 at O2 Arena in London.
Breazeale, a 33-year-old former college football quarterback, has beaten Izu Ugonoh (18-1, 15 KOs), Eric Molina (27-5, 19 KOs) and Carlos Negron (20-2, 16 KOs) by knockout or TKO since his loss to Joshua. The Eastvale, California, resident predicted that Wilder, who’s also 33, will retire once he pulls off an upset in their “Showtime Championship Boxing” main event Saturday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).
Wilder, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will attempt to successfully defend his WBC heavyweight title for the ninth time.
“I am here for the long run,” Wilder said. “This is not a short run for me. I am here for generational wealth. My talent is so unique that I’m betting on myself. I’m taking control of my career, in my own hands, because I am the talent. I know what I possess. A lot of these guys wish they had what I have. But, you know, that’s just an easy way to cop out. You know, ‘He’s been doing this, the right hand, and this and that.’ Yeah, we’re gonna find out.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
