"This is the only sport where you can kill a man & get paid for it at the same time": Deontay Wilder

[MenInG]

"This is the only sport where you can kill a man & get paid for it at the same time": Deontay Wilder

American heavyweight Deontay Wilder has defended himself after again saying he wants to kill an opponent in the ring.

Wilder, 33, said he was "trying to get a body on my record" before defending his WBC title against compatriot Dominic Breazeale on Saturday.

It is Wilder's first fight since his title defence against Tyson Fury in December ended in a controversial draw.

"This is the only sport where you can kill a man and get paid for it at the same time," said Wilder. "It's legal."

Wilder has made similar comments in the past. In March 2018, British heavyweight Tony Bellew called him a "disgrace and senseless idiot".

Earlier this year, after Wilder told Breazeale to "make some funeral arrangements", promoter Eddie Hearn said: "It's bad for the sport."

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Wilder, who has 39 knockouts from his 40 fights, said: "[Breazeale's] life is on the line for this fight and I do mean his life. I am still trying to get me a body on my record."

Asked what people would think about such comments, he replied: "Dominic Breazeale asked for this. I didn't go seek him. He [sought] me. So if it comes it comes. This is a brutal sport. This is not a gentleman sport.

"We don't ask to hit each other in the face but we do anyway. And you can ask any doctor around the world, he will tell you, your head is not meant to be hit.

"On this particular time we have bad blood against each other. This is the only sport where you can kill a man and get paid for it at the same time. It's legal. So why not use my right to do so?"

Breazeale, 33, has lost one of his 21 fights - a seventh-round knockout by Britain's unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in 2016.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/boxing/48278712

 

[MenInG]

Deontay Wilder will face a hearing after the World Boxing Council said his comments about death in the ring are "against the spirit of our sport".

The WBC world heavyweight champion has faced criticism for stating he is "trying to get a body on my record".

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said the comments were "regrettable" and against the organisation's ethics.

Wilder, 33, made the comments in the lead up to Saturday's bout with American compatriot Dominic Breazeale.

Lots of fighters are doping - Wilder
It is not the first time he has raised the prospect of an opponent dying in the ring and the Alabama fighter has made the comments in more than one interview in fightweek.

Sulaiman added: "I have known Wilder for a long time and he is not the person he portrays in such comments.

"His metaphors are against the WBC code of ethics and will be addressed in a hearing."

The likes of former world cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew and promoter Eddie Hearn have criticised Wilder for raising the subject in the past.

On Thursday, former world heavyweight champion Frank Bruno said Wilder's statements "give boxing a bad name", while Breazeale's trainer Virgil Hunter said the champion risked his legacy with "irresponsible" comments.

Wilder - who has 40 wins and a draw in 41 fights - will defend his title against Breazeale - who has 20 wins from 21 - at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/boxing/48302527

 

[The Viper]

Those are some disgusting commnets by Wilder. There is a risk of serious injury but nobody encourages death so openly.

 

[Pakistanian]

He's disgusting.

 

[PakLFC]

Most martial arts and combat sports carry such risks.. WWF/E has had a few in ring deaths as well like Owen Hart many years back fell from high above in what was a stunt that went wrong. Most WWF/E stars have had terrible deaths albeit outside the ring.

 

[shaz619]

I don't agree with his comments but this is a possibility so I find it ironic the people criticising mostly are fighters who decide to step in the ring knowing the damage they can cause and boxing fans who enjoy it all. But lets be honest, the combat sportsman are conditioned for battle and we have weight classes for a reason; there have been deaths but they are predominately rare.

 

[shaz619]

This is all a part of the Bronze Bomer psyche and also to create hype, Tyson has also said a lot worse; part of it is something they mean and the other part is to create hype, look at the attention he has received and free publicity.

Going back to fighters who have been criticising, the legends especially had that killer instinct so to speak and it wasn't a metaphor, they condition their mind to cause that type of damage whether subconcious or concious.

 

[KingKhanWC]

This is nothing new in boxing, it's just part of the build up. He doesn't really want to take his life. lol.

Sure there is personal hatred between these two which has added spice and when there is interview after interview you have to keep the punters intrerested esp if it's PPV.

The only issue is probaby best not to say out like he has because its possible someone can die in the boxing ring. If this happens the sport will suffer and so will Wilder.

 

[Badsha]

UFC learned from wwe and boxing learning from ufc.

This is just buildup talk. It's not real just like those ufc dramas

 

[MenInG]

Deontay Wilder produced a sensational first-round knockout of Dominic Breazeale to retain his WBC world heavyweight title in New York.

Wilder, 33, flattened his fellow American with 43 seconds of the opening round left - taking his record to 41 wins and a draw from 42 bouts.

Breazeale was on the ropes early on before finding a solid shot to respond to the champion.

But Wilder finished the fight moments later with a huge right hand.

After his victory, Wilder was approached by Cuba's Luis Ortiz in the ring - a man he beat in 2018 - but when asked about potential contests with British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, said "no doors are closed" and that such fights "are in discussion".

"All parties involved are talking," Wilder told Showtime. "There's too many people and opinions involved. It will take our teams to sit down, handle things, squash everything and get it done for the fans.

"The big fights will happen the way we all benefit. We risk our lives in here, so let us get our time to iron out our differences and you guys will know when it happens."

Breazeale, 33, left the ring without talking to the media, fresh from a punch that left him sprawled on the canvas and unable to answer the count.

His counter-punch when cornered had briefly seen Wilder engage in a couple of grapples but - after a pause for breath - the champion followed a left-hand jab with a right to the jaw which was as accurate as it was destructive.

It was a 40th victory by knockout for Wilder and just a second career loss for Breazeale, following his 2016 defeat by Anthony Joshua.

Wilder will face a World Boxing Council hearing for pre-fight comments where he again raised the prospect of an opponent dying in the ring.

"This is the only sport where you can kill a man and get paid for it at the same time," Wilder had said in the build-up. "It's legal."

But afterwards Wilder spoke warmly about his beaten rival.

"Everything came out of me tonight," Wilder told Showtime. "I know it's been a big build-up, a lot of animosity, chaos and hatred to one another, a lot of words said. It just came out tonight.

"This is what makes boxing great. When you have stuff to overcome.

"I've told him I love him and I want to see him go home to his family. I know we say things we mean sometimes but when you get into a fight and settle your differences, if you can then hug him and kiss him, I wish the world was like that, handle things with our hands and then live to see another day."

With this win, Wilder successfully defended his title for the ninth time, becoming only the 10th man to achieve that milestone in consecutive fights in the heavyweight division.

The Alabama fighter's ring craft has at times been ridiculed because of his unorthodox nature, and a controversial draw with Fury in December led some to say he had been exposed when coming up against a skilled fighter.

What is undeniable is his vicious power, and a right hand that means he only needs to land sporadically to turn fights his way.

Fury, knocked down twice in their Los Angeles thriller, knows all about it - but will he face the threat in a rematch? And will we ever see Wilder and Joshua fight for the four world titles they possess?

Wilder said a rematch and the big fights will come but, with the three men signed to different broadcasters, each with their own financial goals, the biggest battles of all will need to take place at the negotiating table.

The American's manager Shelly Finkel told BBC Sport that fights of such magnitude are more likely in 2020 so, for now at least, heavyweight focus turns to Joshua's defence against American Andy Ruiz Jr on 1 June and Fury's contest with German fighter Tom Schwarz two weeks later.

Wilder has done his part and can bask in the glory of a highlight reel knockout. His rivals cannot slip up in the coming four weeks.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/boxing/48325268