Deontay Wilder Hopes To Get 'Public' Praise From Mike Tyson
By
Boxing Clever
Published On Tue Nov 26, 2019, 10:53 PM EST
Some historians are tabbing Deontay Wilder as the biggest heavyweight hitter since a 80s version of Mike Tyson.
This past Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Wilder retained his WBC heavyweight crown with a one-punch seventh round knockout of Luis Ortiz in their pay-per-view rematch.
Ortiz was well ahead on the cards when Wilder sent him crashing down at the end of the seventh.
Tyson was ringside, watching Wilder's most recent knockout victim.
According to Wilder, Tyson was praising him at ringside - but wishes the praise was also made in public.
"I had some people sitting by Mike (at my fight). Mike gave me some praises, which I wish he would have said in public. Behind closed doors is cute and s**t but out in public?! Just express yourself. I don't know what the deal is with the old generation, new generation. Like, the old is the past, bro -- let it go," Wilder told TMZ.
"And sometimes history does repeat itself and God brings others that come along to make their own history. I had people telling me Mike was saying 'when I knocked guys out, I had to use combinations but with Wilder man that guy can hit'. I am the hardest-hitting puncher in boxing history, period."
Wilder is heading to a February rematch with Tyson Fury, and he expects to win by knockout.
"I mean, if him getting up off his back is the 'Kryptonite' than Lord have mercy," Wilder said.
"Have mercy upon him the 2nd time because he won't get up. Because I'm gonna get him again. These fighters have to be perfect for me for 12 rounds and that's 36 minutes! 36 minutes you gotta be perfect!"
In the aftermath of his most recent KO win, Wilder explained that he still regards his 2016 knockout of Artur Szpilka as the most brutal of them all.
"Man, I think the (Artur Szpilka) fight still tops it. Just the way that he landed and I really didn't see him breathing ... at all. I didn't see him start breathing until his GF came over and he finally woke up," Wilder said.
"It was like something in the movies and I actually had to witness it with my own eyes and it was amazing to see that. That one, I really felt it. Ortiz, I didn't feel the punch."