No megafight, but Wilder motivated for Breazeale
NEW YORK — Whatever disappointment Deontay Wilder may have had in not next fighting Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury is gone.
Now the heavyweight champion can’t wait to get in the ring with Dominic Breazeale.
“It’s going to be an amazing night for me and a sad night for him,” Wilder said.
Coming off the first fight of his career that didn’t end in victory, Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOS) wants to power his way back into the win column Saturday when he defends his version of the title against Breazeale (20-1, 18 KOS) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
It’s not a unification showdown against Joshua or rematch of his draw with Fury, either of which would have been far bigger events. But to Wilder, this is much more than just a mandatory defense of the WBC belt.
His anger toward the challenger stems from a few years back and has led to harsh words. Wilder promises it will be followed by harder punches.
“He asked for this, and he shall receive,” Wilder said.
Details of exactly what happened in a hotel in Wilder’s native Alabama, which came after they fought on the same card and involved family and friends, are unclear. But it’s made for an easy buildup to a fight that at first felt like a letdown.
Even if a Joshua bout still seemed out of reach, all roads pointed toward an immediate rematch with Fury, who fought Wilder to a draw in December. However, the British former champion then signed with Top Rank, the promotional company that has an exclusive deal with ESPN and another timetable in mind.
But the first bout, in which Fury memorably got up from a devastating combination Wilder landed in the 12th round, coupled with Joshua’s impending U.S. debut on June 1 across town at Madison Square Garden, helped provide Wilder and heavyweight boxing with a boost in publicity even with Breazeale not carrying the same level of fame as the more desired opponents.
“You guys know damn well he lost that last fight, man. He did not beat Fury,” Breazeale said. “There hasn’t been any development on Wilder since the last four years, probably in his whole professional career. He looks the same as he did as an amateur and even then he didn’t look great. To think that he’s been the WBC champ for what, four years now, that’s a disgrace to the heavyweight division.”