Deontay Wilder has never been one to not show his emotions and intensity in and outside of the ring. So when he was asked about the idea of his upcoming fight against Dominic Breazeale being more personal than his past fights, all he could do is laugh.
But it wasn't laughter dismissing that notion. Quite the contrary, that laugh was Wilder showing he is very much looking forward to this fight.
"Oh, most definitely [this fight is more personal than others]," Wilder laughs when asked by Fightful in a recent media call. "Oh man and that's not a laugh of joy. That's an evil laugh. In an evil scene, the evil man's got to laugh. That's my evil laugh."
The past 18 months or so of Wilder's career has certainly been a tumultuous one. From having a November 2017 fight against Luis Ortiz fall through to getting a chance to violently knock out Bermane Stiverne and later fight former unified champion Tyson Fury last December, Wilder has had plenty on his mind when it comes to how his career has gone. Regardless, the undefeated WBC heavyweight titleholder is more than looking forward to his upcoming challenge against Breazeale on May 18.
"I think this is the most excited I've been and the most I wanted to hurt a man since 2015 with Bermane Stiverne. And we all know what happened to him. And the second time was just playing around with him," Wilder said.
It would be inaccurate to say that the fire inside Wilder's belly has been extinguished at various points during his title reign, but when it comes to Breazeale, the fire has never burned brighter, not even when Wilder faced Fury late last year.
The personal animosity between the two has forced Wilder to focus on his training and taking care of his body in ways he never really thought of before. Wilder invested in equipment to allow him to recover better and said he went to the basics when it comes to preparing for a fight and the WBC champion has Breazeale to thank for it.
"I needed this boost as a champion of the division, I needed this boost. Like I said, I never thought of investing in myself the way I've done. To be a champion and get away with so many different things, man it's been crazy. But now I've turned every stone over man. This is the most precise camp that I've ever had, in my entire life. I feel it tops all camps and I needed this re-ignition in my life. I needed this extra boost because I will do what I say I'm going to do and that night I'm damn well going to try. I guarantee you that," Wilder said.
The fight between Wilder and Breazeale will headline a Showtime-televised card from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on May 18. Fightful will have live coverage of the entire card. You can listen to Wilder talking to Fightful in the video at the top of the page.
