Deontay Wilder Doubles Down On Controversial Goal Ahead Of Ring Return

Forbes

3 hours ago

Deontay Wilder poses for a portrait ahead of his Heavyweight fight against Zhilei Zhang (Photo by ... More)
Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is returning to the ring on June 27 when he takes on Tyrrell Herndon in Wichita, Kansas. I had an opportunity to speak with Wilder this week, and while we may not have agreed on a key topic of discussion, it was one of my favorite interviews.
I've always loved watching and following Wilder's career. There's always been an element of imperfect brilliance that I find compelling. I found our conversation to have the same elements.
Wilder made a comment about his training during the interview as he prepares to stop a two-fight losing streak against Herndon. He said "he doesn't practice to play, he trains to kill."
That immediately reminded me of the time Wilder said 'I want a body on my record,' ahead of his fight with Bermane Stiverne in 2017. In case you missed it, it was an interview with Radio Raheem of Seconds Out.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - DECEMBER 22: Deontay Wilder reacts after weighing in ahead of the Heavyweight ... More fight between Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker during the Day of Reckoning: Weigh-In on December 22, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by)
Because Wilder made another statement about killing in the ring, I felt compelled to ask him if he still felt that way. Full disclosure, I hate it when fighters say they want to kill an opponent or even that they are willing to die in the ring or cage.
No one really wants that; it's short-sighted, ridiculous bravado that is not needed to sell a fight. Fans of the sport don't want to see that happen. We know that it has and is a possibility, but no one rejoices when that danger becomes a reality.
That sets the stage for the question and answer Wilder offered me.
'I've been asked this question multiple times, man,' Wilder said. 'And like I told them, I'll tell you the same thing—I don't take back what I said. People on the outside looking in call this a sport, but I want to ask: why do you call it a sport?'
I gave him my definition of a sport, basically two people or teams engaging in an athletic competition to attain victory in accordance to the rules set in that sport.
I call it a sport because the definition of a sport is two people or two teams using their bodies in an athletic competition to win. Oh, oh, you said team, just, and that ain't- I said people or team, because like tennis, tennis is a one-on-one sport, it's a sport. You know, it's because it's two people playing against each other unless it's doubles.
'So what do you call it when two men are at war with each other?' Wilder asked. 'In the streets, you can have two guns—may the best man win. May your accuracy beat mine. But do people consider gun violence a sport?'
I disagreed with the two things being related.
'But you have to have skills, you have to have skills. You have to have skills to point that gun. You have to have skills to scope that sight. You have to have skills to be accurate. You know, a lot of people are amateur when it comes to it, but you have to have, if you have the dominant skills, then you become a veteran, you know? And with this, this is totally a business. People on the outside looking in don't understand the business of boxing. You know, for me to say this is a sport, it's like a masking agent, you know what I mean, to what really occurs in here. Over 13 fighters dies a year, and it's probably more than that. What other sport that you want to call, you see people losing their lives in, as the business of boxing?'
I didn't disagree with overall concept he presented, but I didn't see how it related to him saying, 'I want a body on my record.' There's a difference between saying you know a fatality is a possibility and saying that you want that on your record.
'At the end of the day, if I get hit in the head a certain way, I could die,' Wilder continued. 'So my words aren't far-fetched. I'm trying to bring attention to something, because I don't like how people always want to be politically correct. If I'm risking my life, I feel like I can say what I need to say.'
Wilder and I weren't going to agree on this subject, and I said it in the conversation, and I questioned if that was truly how Wilder felt as I recalled watching the way he reacted after he knocked out Artur Szpilka in 2016. Wilder was legitimately concerned and he admitted that in the interview.
Watch the finish here.
'You gotta have that warrior mentality,' Wilder said.
'It can sound distasteful. It can sound a certain way. But if you're not a gladiator, if you're not a warrior in there, you don't understand what this really is. You won't fully get what I'm saying,' Wilder said. 'And I'm not apologetic about it. I'm right there in it. Because if something happens to me and I die in that ring—God forbid—then we're talking about a whole different situation. Everything I've said would be seen in a different light, because it actually happened.'
I heard him, and while I still didn't agree, I understood Wilder more in this conversation than I'd ever had watching his career for the past 13 years.
I respected Wilder taking time to answer a question he'd be asked before, and one challenging a controversial point of view. While he may seem simplistic to some–as a man and fighter–he's a bit deeper than most would give him credit and I came away from the conversation more fond of him that before.
It also made his upcoming fight with Herndon–a bout expected to be particularly one-sided–a bit more interesting.
'This is the return of Deontay Wilder—mentally, physically, and emotionally,' he said. 'I'm taking back my throne. And at the end of the day, man, America needs me. They're putting my logo out every night, waving it. We need our hero back. And I'm gonna answer the call, baby."
Boxing is undoubtedly more interesting when there is a formidable American heavyweight on the scene. Wilder is the last one we've seen.
'We don't understand each other,' Wilder said. "Because in reality, bro, we need each other. For sure. The human race needs each other.'
We do need you, brother, but not just in the ring. We need you, period.