And if he dies, he dies.
The suits behind the walls of the WBC, publicly, really didn’t take too kindly to the heavyweight champion bearing it’s strap in the form of Deontay Wilder (40-0-1, 39KOs). He’s angry as hell and I don’t blame him. So if he murders former NFL bust and weekend warrior Dominic Breazeale (25-1, 17KOs), totally under the rules of the NYSAC on Saturday night at a fired up Barclays Center in Brooklyn, don’t blame the Tuscaloosa, AL native for sirens racing down Atlantic Ave and don’t blame Al Haymon.
Blame Bob Arum.
💣💥!
“This is the only sport where you can kill a man and get paid for it at the same time. It’s legal. So why not use my right to do so,” said Wilder, full of wild thoughts, in front of salivating independant media reporters with working cameras on Tuesday. They did their job. The copy started floating around the internet psuedo TMZ style, which of course piqued the interest of USA Today within 24 hours. Understanding an opportunity to either retract or reinforce in front of a national audience, “Bomb Squad!” went fucking vintage Ivan Drago.
“If he dies, he dies,” Wilder said of Breazeale (20-1, with 18 KOs), with about all the compassion of The Unabomber.
“This is a gladiator’s sport. And with bad blood, we know I possess the power.”
We also know WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has the power to stop his ass. Not pleased at all with Wilder’s primitive, damn near nihilistic approach, Sulaiman went on a Twitter temper tantrum.
“I have seen Deontay Wilder’s comments which are regrettable and completely against the spirit of our sport,” he tweeted. “I have known Wilder for a long time and he is not the person he portrays in such comments. His metaphors are against the WBC code of ethics and will be addressed in a hearing.”
For those who would opine that Wilder’s remarks are straight out of a WWE playbook, one somehow orchestrated by Al Haymon and a very complicit WBC, ask Luiz Ortiz how it feels to be “King Kong” struck by Wilder on top of the Empire State. Or perhaps get testimony from a garralous “Gypsy King” in Tyson Fury, who somehow turned into Lazarus after, well, dying from two detonations from Wilder in the 12th round of their classic at Staples Center in December.
He survived a very real attempt to be killed by Wilder in the ring of fire. He probably even deserved to win. What Wilder and you the fan deserved was an immediate rematch to a draw that drew cheers. Only Bob Arum didn’t think so. Exploiting an opportunity to finagle his way in between a rematch– in a way ‘completely against the spirit of our sport’, Arum essentially outfoxed Haymon at the business table; and with all the strength his 87 years of age could muster, he pushed Wilder into a foxhole with Breazeale, full of bad blood, and handed Fury a $120 million dollar shovel he doesn’t really give a shit about.
Even if Wilder climbs out of it unscathed (and it says here he will; catch Wilder Vs Stiverne II for a clue) it still won’t change the fact that he’ll be a Black Panther done dirty, due to childish grown ups with a grudge at the public’s expense. Fighters talk across promotional borders, caring nothing for the imaginary ones imposed by owners of their sovereignty. Used to be that fighters– especially a champion, had the right to fight whoever they deemed their greatest threat. Imagination letting shit “marinate” with a bully at school. Now, he’s got your lunch, and most likely your girl in prom pictures.
Fighters are now commodities in the portfolios of promoters who might as well be nations. Reports surfaced this week that Waddell and Reed, primary investors of PBC to the tune of $550 million plus before their early 2015 rollout, ain’t happy with Al’s barn and circling the wagons. Despite the two highest grossing fights of all-time during the ensuing four years (Mayweather Vs Pacquiao and Mayweather Vs McGregor), the suitors haven’t cleared the red. Too many PPV slices needed to go on too many other cross promotional plates; which includes sponsors and affiliates from damn near everywhere. But it cracked the door for venture capitalists to package deals that rebranded HBO into DAZN, and turned ESPN into a Top Rank chessboard. Why wouldn’t they want to make checkers out of FOX and Showtime?
Being the WBC heavyweight champion should still be among the most prestigious titles in all of sports. But different men honor titles these days, the type who influence public consent and content. Wilder Vs Fury II in Barclays would’ve “had the crowd going Ape Shit”, as Beyonce would say, but maybe that’s why it’s not happening. I think Anthony Joshua Vs Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller would have been so lit at Madison Square Garden on June 1, it definitely would have put fans in an AJ Vs “Bomb Squad!” zone not even Sports Illustrated would deny.
But Breazeale as a set-up to a superfight? Given what PBC and Wilder is working against, as compared to an arrogant DAZN in possession of the biggest draw in boxing in Anthony Joshua? They don’t care who AJ fights. They’ll go get Larry Lunchmeat, which might actually be on the fucking birth certificate of Andy Ruiz.
Now you might understand why Deontay Wilder might feel he needs to kill Dominic Breazeale, on some chopped and screwed southern style LL Cool J “Mama Said Knock You Out!” shit. Toss in Breazeale threatening Wilder’s brother after his February 2017 win over Gerald Washington (there was a very real dust-up in front of wives and kids that involved “I’ll kill you!”) and how could Al Haymon be blamed if he encouraged Deontay to have Dominic pushing daisies? I don’t recall anyone having much of a problem with Wilder wanting “a body” before absolutely bodying a fat Bermane Stiverne in November 2017.
WILDER 💣 SQUADS! BREAZEALE
Just like Muhammed Ali
They called him Cassius
Watch me bash this beat like a skull
That you know I’ve beef with
Why do you riff with me
The maniac psycho
And when I pull out my jammy get ready
Cause I might go Blaw!
LL Cool J, “Mama Said Knock You Out”
2 is all Wilder needed for Stiverne. He’ll work a little harder here. The champion was probably embarrassed by the way Fury was able to befuddle or shutdown his attack for large portions of their fight in December. He missed wildly with his vaunted overhand right and sweeping hooks due to the talented Mr. Gypsy, but Breazeale has none of Fury’s preternatural gifts of avoidance. That, and he’s likely to be tight under the Brooklyn lights. Because this is a common opponent of AJ– in addition to the beef, oh yes, Dominic Breazeale is getting KTFO. Fridays style. Wilder via brutal KO 3.
