Deontay Wilder: “I’m not worried about anything that Stiverne brings to the table, not one thing!”

I recently had an opportunity to talk with rising heavyweight contender, Deontay ‘The Bronze Bomber’ Wilder. Deontay is undefeated in his career and he has dispatched every single one of his opponents by way of knockout. Currently, Wilder is the number one contender for Bermane Stiverne’s WBC heavyweight title. Topics discussed in this interview include, Wilder’s latest win over Jason Gavern, Deontay’s upcoming title shot with Bermane Stiverne, a possible unification bout with IBO champ, Wladimir Klitschko. Here is what Deontay Wilder had to say.

Robert Brown: You are coming off a win over journeyman Jason Gavern. Did you achieve what you wanted to achieve in that fight?

Deontay Wilder: Oh definitely. I definitely achieved what I wanted to achieve. The gameplan was flawless how we had it set. Gavern knew his role and my role, he knew he wasn’t on my level, but that wasn’t what that fight was all about. We wanted to go in there, have fun and get some rounds, basically for my fans, to get my face back in the scene, keeping a little rust off me and stuff like that.

Of course as you can see, I carried him into the fourth round. I wanted to do at least about eight rounds with him. I was gonna go out not really looking to land any big shots on him, I just wanted to go in and let the people know that I can go rounds. People take it how they want it, this is boxing and this is a business, and we handle business like we want to, so onto the next.

Many fighters that say they would take a serious fighter when you’re right at the door, when you’re months away from fighting for a world title, they’d be lying, they’d be straight lying. Most guys don’t even take a warm up fight, they’d rather wait six months, a year or two years to be the number one contender knowing that they got their shot.

They don’t even want to fight in a ring, period, because no matter who you get in the ring with — especially in the heavyweight division — you’re entitled to be a dangerous fight right off the bat. You can get in and get knocked out, or you can get in and break a hand, twist an ankle. A lot of people won’t even take the fight anyway, they’ll say you’re crazy. It was a risk that I wanted to take and I’m glad we did what we did, and here we are.

Robert Brown: You’re the mandatory for Bermane Stiverne’s WBC title. How do you feel about the fight, and what do you think your strengths are against Stiverne?

Deontay Wilder: I got a lot of strengths. I’m definitely smarter in the ring than he is, I’m taller, I’m more athletic, I’m definitely quicker, I’m more mobile than him. I got a lot of advantages that play towards me in the fight, but all that doesn’t matter. No matter what my strength is against him, if I don’t use it when that time comes, I’ll have it for nothing.

We’ll see what happens when that time comes, but I can say what my strengths and weaknesses are, I can point out his strengths and weaknesses, but none of that is gonna matter until it comes down and we both play part in what we have to do. I’m just ready for the fight, I’m ready to put on a great show for the fans all over the world because this is gonna be a very big heavyweight fight, a lot of people will see this one.

I’m looking forward to being the first American heavyweight champion to bring it back, I can’t wait. Everything that I’ve been doing has been based on him, even fighting Gavern. The camp that I had was all based off of Stiverne. We had all guys his height, his style, or somewhere close to his style, in camp. Now we’re gonna go in camp again to have the same gameplan. It’s almost like we’re having two camps for him, so I’m ready.

Robert Brown: When you look at what Stiverne brings to the table, is there anything you’re particularly concerned about?

Deontay Wilder: Nothing, I’m not worried about anything that Stiverne brings to the table, not one thing. Like I said, may the best man win, and that’s what it’s gonna boil down to when the time comes. I’m not concerned, I’m excited for this.

I’m excited for him to be able to be the first Haitian to be a heavyweight champion. But that time has passed, now it’s time to pass the crown on to the king, the first American to bring it back, since Shannon Briggs. I’m not concerned at all, I love my job, I love to do what I do, and that’s box. I don’t fear no man, I’m not scared of getting in the ring with no one. Any other human, I don’t fear at all. I love to do this.

Robert Brown: You just talked about Shannon Briggs. He’s had some impressive comeback wins recently and he got a belt. Assuming that you get past Stiverne, would you like to fight Shannon Briggs in the future?

Deontay Wilder: Anything is possible, as long as these guys keep winning. If you keep winning anything is possible, especially when I’m in office. I was telling Mauro that once I get this belt, all is welcome. I want to be the world’s most wanted, I want to have that sign over my head of world’s most wanted, dead or alive.

I wanna be the hitman that everybody comes to see, so I can show the world that I haven’t just been doing it just with people that they don’t want me to see. Even when I was fighting their favorite fighter, I knocked them out. It’s been installed in me. I have something that I’ve been blessed with that can’t be taught and everybody is welcome.

I’m ready to face the world, whoever feels like they’re the best, I’m willing to challenge them and seeing what they’re capable of doing. If Briggs keeps fighting and he keeps winning, I want to fight him as well too. We’ll have to see, they have to keep winning and keep climbing. He still has to keep winning and climbing the ladder and if he does that, we’ll definitely meet.

Robert Brown: Do you feel a sense of responsibility to bring those world titles back to American soil?

Deontay Wilder: Yeah, it’s definitely a responsibility. It’s a responsibility that I like to have. A lot of people ask me if it’s pressure for me, I say not at all. I think I was born to be a leader and this is my time now. This is my calling to do what I’m doing. Right now boxing is what it is and I feel this is what I was called to do. I’m ready to do it, I’m ready to bring it back and start that journey of having the titles back in America.

Robert Brown: Are you confident about going the distance with Stiverne if you have to?

Deontay Wilder: I can go fifteen rounds, if they want to take it back to old school, I can go fifteen rounds, that’s nothing. Twelve rounds is a joke to me, it’s nothing to me, it’s nothing. If it has to go twelve rounds, hey lets go twelve rounds.

Robert Brown: Wladimir Klitschko has stated that he would like to get all the belts back. Do you think Klitschko will come after your title if you get past Stiverne? Would you like to fight Klitschko?

Deontay Wilder: Of course, and he should want to come after the titles. I know he got a lot things lined up for himself as well that he has to get past. But that should be his motive — to win and once a new king is crowned for the WBC title, he should want to come after it.

I think he definitely sees that and he knows who’s gonna be the winner of that fight. Of course I think that’s gonna be a great fight, a great clash of two giants to have a unification bout, Wladimir Klitschko vs. Deontay Wilder for a unification heavyweight title. I think that’s what he would do, and we’ll see what happens.

Robert Brown: Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora will be having a rematch, who do you think will win?

Deontay Wilder: I have no idea who will win it. I always say that the man that’s in the best shape is gonna win, in any fight. The best man of the night is gonna win, the man that makes the right combinations in his punches, that’s gonna be the man who wins that fight. Good luck to both of those guys, hopefully they both come in with full health and then they come out with the same thing and go back to their families.