Should Deontay Wilder Hire a PR Consultant?

Tyson Fury became an instant hero to many (this writer included) when he donated his considerable earnings from the Deontay Wilder fight to the homeless. Reportedly his entire purse was donated to various charities in the UK that specialize in providing housing for recovering addicts and alcoholics.

Meanwhile, his opponent, Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder, stated not too long ago that he wouldn’t be troubled if Dominic Breazeale (with whom Wilder has had confrontations) passed away from injuries incurred during their forthcoming grudge match at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In an interview with Oliver Holt of the Daily Mail, Wilder said, “Not one bit of remorse…Because this is boxing. This is what we do. This is what we sign up for.”

This almost happened when he he left poor Artur Szpilka unconscious in January 2016 as a result of one of his windmill shots landing flush. It was as scary as scary can get. ‘No Remorse, If It Happens, It Happens.”

There are things you just don’t say about an opponent and this manifestly was one of them.

Prior to his talk with the Daily Mail reporter, Wilder made a similar comment in a rambling statement during an appearance on a New York sports talk radio show: “That’s the Bronze Bomber, he want [a body]. I always tell people, when I’m in the ring, like I am the Bronze Bomber. With him, it’s so crazy, when I’m in the Bronze Bomber, I don’t really care…Everything about me changes. I don’t get nervous, I don’t get scared, I don’t get butterflies, I don’t have no feeling towards the man I’m gonna fight.”

Hmm. Apparently his rationale is predicated on some kind of split personality notion, but what’s really coming across to those who are not being hoodwinked by Wilder’s rants is a person who is badly in need of a public relations consultant, someone who could also serve as a mentor. He has a compelling personal story that combined with his boxing success could be articulated in a way that would be very supportive and positive—like that of Luis Ortiz (though the Cuban’s PED infractions don’t help). However, he needs to tone down the rhetoric.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán came to Deontay’s defense on his twitter page: “I have known the Bronze Bomber for a long time. I respect him and do not believe he could say that he wants to kill someone in the ring.” (He said it, Mauricio. Believe it.)

Others, such as Eddie Hearn, expressed disgust that Wilder would say such a thing. Former cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew tweeted , “If this is true, he’s a disgrace!”

Anthony Joshua added, “I wouldn’t want a body on my record. “I say my little prayer in the corner. Pray for success. And I pray for (my opponent’s) health. And I pray he’ll be safe once he leaves the ring.”

Maybe Wilder should listen to Mike Tyson who waxed philosophical in an interview with boxing.com editor Robert Ecksel: “My whole life was a regret…My whole life, my actions, my conduct, a lot of stuff I’ve done in my life, especially as a fighter…I said often some really bizarre and disrespectful things to opponents. Putting down a lot of fighters just to become more of this renowned figure and stuff. I wish I didn’t do that, I wish I hadn’t said a lot of the things that I’ve said to other human beings. I don’t want to live my life that way anymore.”

Big Baby

Speaking of villains, Wilder has had a lot to say about the now disgraced Jarrell Miller. In a recent interview with TV commentator Shawn Porter, the reigning WBC welterweight champion, Wilder said, “I don’t feel sorry for him…What made him look so bad is he wanna accuse the other opponent for doing something like that and here he comes doing it…Like I said, I know a lot of guys that does it, this is not the first one…it keeps coming out and these guys keep doing it and doing it. The only way it’s going to stop is unless someone put an end to it…and he got to be the example.”

“Are you saying lifetime ban?” asked Porter. “For sure,” said Wilder. “Lifetime ban, count me in…Guys like that—drug cheats—they’ve made me miss out on a lot of money…They made me go back and reconsider boxing…like, ‘Why is this happening to me? Why do these guys wanna cheat with me?’ I don’t have no place in my heart for a cheat. This sport is very serious. I’m one of the people that’s always talking about risking our lives in the ring and when a guy use any type of thing to make his body perform what it ain’t supposed to do, then, I don’t have no respect for you…”

His disgust is understandable. Yet, given his stated desire to get “a body on his record,” a degree of incongruity emerges. Not hypocrisy, but things just don’t square up. On the one hand he complains how a juiced fighter could hurt someone, while on the other he says he wouldn’t feel any remorse if he killed someone in the ring. (Curiously, The Bomber, who has always tested clean, had little to say when his younger brother Marsellos Wilder tested positive for PEDs after a recent fight in Texas and had his win over 0-2 Mark Sanchez changed to a No Decision.)

Ted Sares is a lifetime member of Ring 10, and a member of Ring 4 and its Boxing Hall of Fame. He also is an Auxiliary Member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). He is an active power lifter and Strongman competitor in the Grand Master class and plans to compete in 2019.

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