Heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs), coming off his contested split draw against Tyson Fury in December, fights Dominic Breazeale May 18 on Showtime. So we had an anonymous trainer assess Wilder — then let Wilder respond.
TRAINER: Deontay Wilder is the rare fighter gifted with one-punch power. Unfortunately, it’s only his right hand.
WILDER: The right hand, of course, has the ultimate power. But it’s the way I set it up. That’s just the punch you see that takes them out. The left brings the damage too. It can knock you out just as well. Trust me.
TRAINER: He’s athletic and tall with good reach, but he tends to fight at his opponent’s range instead of using his length.
WILDER: I’m one of the few tall guys that’ll come down to your height. I’m so athletic! I do that because I use different styles. I’m never one way. People think I’m doing it because that’s just my style. No, no, no. I’m doing things for a reason. They don’t understand what they see.
TRAINER: His knockout streak has kept him from developing into the great boxer he could be. Also, his lack of weight and strength allows bigger opponents, like Tyson Fury [Wilder and Fury fought to a controversial draw on Dec. 1], to wear on him.
WILDER: I can count on one hand how many times I’ve outweighed my opponent in my pro career. People have in their mind that you have to be a certain weight. I debunked that years ago. Weight does add to the velocity [of the punch], but the technique, fast-twitch muscles, timing and positioning of your hands all work together. Boxing is a true science. That’s why I can knock down a guy [Fury] 50-plus pounds heavier than I am.
TRAINER: Dominic Breazeale [21-0, 18 KOs] is a notch below the elite level, and Wilder will stop him in the last third of the fight.
WILDER: I’m going to go in there and destroy him. And I’m in a sport that allows you to do it. He’s going to quit on himself. It’s either going to be by choice or by force.