Speaker 1: Well, it's my great pleasure to welcome to our podcast
this week it is none only, none other than the
former WBC Evyweight Champion of the World, Deontay Wilder. Deyontay,
thank you very much for doing this. And before we
get into it, I'll tell the people why we're chatting
because you, for the first time of the year, are
coming back to the ring. You're gonna be taken on
Tyrrell Herndon in a ten round fight will take place
June twenty seventh in which of Ta Kansas live on PPV,
dot Com, integrated sports pay per view, satellite and cable
operators all over the place, so people can check that
out to see the return of the Bronze Bomber. Deontay,
how have you been. It's been a while since we've talked.
Speaker 2: I've been good, Dan, you know, just been dealing with
the issues the lives of the hand with me in
my life, getting everything and situated, you know, when under control.
Speaker 3: And it's been good. It's been good.
Speaker 2: You know, will come to the bad times the good,
and will come the good times the bad. So is
I say my life has been balanced out pretty well,
you know, And and I've.
Speaker 3: Been taking care of a lot of business.
Speaker 2: Just let pass last year having some type of understanding
what's been going on with me? Why have I you know,
falling on the store in and the stick and you know,
my last couple of outings and different things just in
all in general, you know, and and I had to
find a solution to the problem.
Speaker 3: You know, at first I didn't understand what the hell
was going on with me, you know, and why things
were happening.
Speaker 2: And until I realized what was going on and why
things was happening, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3: If that I am now?
Speaker 1: So I mean obviously, like you mentioned, you did lose
a couple of fights. Yeah, the rough knockout to Angeli
in your last fight that was a year ago.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 1: I think a lot of people thought maybe that would
be your last fight. Obviously that's not the case. You're
coming back. Prior to that, you had that decision with
Joe Parker.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 1: But again you apparently still want to carry on. Did
you ever think about retirement or was never in your mind?
Speaker 3: Now the retirement was never ever ever in my mind.
Speaker 2: So, you know, a lot of people like to be
like to be first and being correct and read rumors
about things. But I always tell people, if you ain't
heard it from my mouth, then if most likely it's
not true. You know, I'm not a person that just
gives us so easily just because things don't go my way.
You know, it's a reason for all things. And as
long as I continue, as long as I can stay
healthy and continue to have a mind to think and
continue to focus, and my body can generate the things
that they need to at the time they need to,
I'm here. You know, I still got goals to set
out for this business, and I'm looking forward to seeing
myself a company that's definitely before I retire, because when
I do retire, you know the word everyone would know
it will be silent, it will be permittent, and it's
no coming back.
Speaker 3: I don't want to be the one.
Speaker 2: That retired, the come out of retirement, then go back
and then come back out, because can do.
Speaker 3: That to you.
Speaker 2: You know, because once you're a warrior, you never the
warriors spirit definite lead. You always feel like you can fight,
that you got one more fight than you and you
can go on and do you know, do this or
do that, or become a champion of Gigon or whatever,
and you know, that's the mentality of fighters should have it, you.
Speaker 3: Know what I mean that I can still do it.
Speaker 2: But there's also things that that's logic, things that make sense,
you know what I mean that what's really what it's
not And for.
Speaker 3: Me me being able to run, return and do.
Speaker 2: What I need to do at a UH at at
at the uh at the high level, I could still
do that, you know that hands down.
Speaker 1: Well, I was just gonna say, my understanding is that
after after what happened in the last fight, that you
had like a right shoulder surgery.
Speaker 3: Is that correct? That's correct?
Speaker 1: I mean you're I mean when you talk about right
shoulder surgery. We know, anybody that knows about Deontay Wilder
knows the right hand as the money maker. That's where
you've scored all your big, massive knockouts. That's what you're
best known for. So can you tell me a little
bit about what was that about and how things are?
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, even before even for that fight, I
had to show the injury going on, you know, I mean,
I've been dealing with it, so was the injury for
the last four years. You know, you know, certain things
you just got to keep it to yourself and you
just got to go on with it and they don't
need to complain about it. You know, certain things you
just got to live your life with it. You know,
many people you may wait a minute, many people you may,
you may, you may. You may tell things about or
you may tell the world about it, and they look
at it as an excuse or whatever. But you know,
certain things, you know just not meant to be said.
You know, I tell people all the time. I say
truthful the things that I say. You know, people use
my truth for their for their excuse. It ain't my excuse.
Is my proof that I'm telling you and any type
of way you want.
Speaker 3: So is it?
Speaker 1: It's the shoulders good now though there's no issues or anything.
Speaker 3: So it's great. So the sholders you don't have flick
the sholder is great.
Speaker 2: You know what I mean? This is you know, the
first time in a long time that that I felt
this way, you know. Uh, But get all to be
presented itself, you know what I mean. I can say
a lot of things, uh, And like I've said in
the past, you know what I mean, to try to
convince myself to to keep going and convince myself that it's.
Speaker 3: Gonna be okay. Over.
Speaker 2: I have time in training to get myself at a
mental state that I need to be, But at this
point in time, it's none of that convincing. It's no convincing.
It definitely, you know, speaking from my heart and where
things are. You know, I'm definitely injury free at this
moment in time, and I think I think, you know, Dan.
Speaker 3: It's gonna present itself.
Speaker 2: You know, it ain't something that I gotta say next
week is gonna present itself. We're gonna see if if
if if it's really if it's not, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 3: And uh, And that's the great thing about it.
Speaker 1: So I know you didn't come back to fight to
come back to fight tyrrel Herding. And I'm not trying
to insult tyrrel Herdon, but he's obviously not a world
class level guy. And it's understandable, coming off the shoulder surgery,
coming off a year left, coming off a couple of losses,
that it would make sense for somebody of your accomplishments
who has still goals to come back and sort of
see where you are. So I guess I want to
insult your opponent. So I'm gonna assume that you're gonna
win the fight. I know you think you're gonna win
the fight. You mentioned earlier. You have still goals to
take care of it in the boxing world. Can you
tell me what those goals are?
Speaker 2: I mean the univide A division, you know what I
can all the things that I've I had coming in,
I still want accomplish that.
Speaker 3: You know that, don't.
Speaker 2: I don't aboard the mission just because of a certain
things didn't go my way, you know. I mean, I've
gotten it in the stick. If anything enhances me, allows
me to go back and reevaluate certain things and whatever
the weakness is, then I make strong but and get
it right. But at the end of the day, you
got to have my fir ability, and if you don't
have it, then all things crashes.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: And I've seen over the years that this country that
mental mental health has been one of a major priorities,
probably one of on the top list. You know, when
it used to be a time where you know, you
talk about it, people look at you crazy, but you know,
it's a real factor.
Speaker 3: It's a real thing. PTSD is a real thing, you know.
Speaker 2: And I just had to overcome a lot of different things,
you know, and and here I am, so you be.
Speaker 1: Able to deal with the losses and like put them
in their compartment and and get over them, so to speak.
Speaker 2: Because I understand why it occurred. Okay, So I understand
why it occurred. And no matter what coach I had
at that time, or no matter who I fought, I
truly felt that I see where I failed because of what.
Speaker 3: I had going on.
Speaker 2: Uh. It spears to me mostly uh with him myself.
You know what I'm saying outside of the rings. Little
of it done in the inside, but madard of it,
uh is displayed on the outside of the ring with
my battle.
Speaker 1: So tell me what you know or if you were
even concerned about Herndon, I mean he's fought some names,
but I mean I look at the record. I see
he's been stopped a few times. Uh, he's one a
few fights a row against sort of lesser opponents. Richard Torrez,
who's the Olympic silver medal winner, who was a prospect,
did stop him not that long ago. And Richard me
go on and become a heavyweight champion. But he's certainly
not at the level of Deontay Wilder yet, So when
you when I ask you about Herndon, what's your thoughts
about who you're going to be in front of co
Friday night.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I don't know too much about about him, you know.
I think we took the pitcher away back maybe ten
years ago or something like that. I met him in person,
you know, I haven't kept up with his career. I
know he's like twenty five, I mean twenty five and
five something like that, and twenty four and five and
uh and fall some decent fighters and stuff. And this
is definitely a fight that is coming up to tune up,
you know what I mean, to see where I am.
This is a placement fight for myself, you know what
I mean. Of course, for him, it's a different fight
because he's you know, or who I am, and he
can make a name of off of me and stuff
like that. So it's the meaning is totally different for him.
But for me is me returning and and getting back
what I know that it's rightfully mind to what I know,
what I can do, you know, And uh, that's my thing.
This is tuning up for me, and I think for
these next for these next few fighters, uh, for the
next several fight will be that of the tuning up
as we go, we progress, that we get ourselves back
together and and get.
Speaker 3: Back to the top of things.
Speaker 2: You know, in the heavyweight division, we all know that
we want to fight away from a championship fight, you
know what I mean, any given moment and give me
any given time, you know, But I want to reassure
myself and I'm mentally, physically and mostly back.
Speaker 3: Like I claimed that I am back is the return,
and I too feel that way.
Speaker 1: Then one thing, Deontay that it seemed to me over
the last few fights that you became still dangerous with
the right hand, obviously, but you became very predictable because
everybody would watch it Deontay Wilder fight and just say
he's looking to load up and land one big right hand,
and you were using less and less of the other
skills that you have, your jab in particular, And I
wonder if that's been a part of the conversation with
the team, is we need to use this fight. Yeah,
of course you want the big knockout. If it comes,
I'm sure it will be with the right hand, especially
if you say your shoulder and your right is all
good now, but that you're able to maybe set things
up and use the things that you would abandon do.
You could have looked at your pass fights and be
like I did, get away from that. I think at
the Luis Ortiz rematch, where everybody knew in the world
that was looking at it looking for the right hand,
and you got him. But it took a little while
to get there. You were way behind getting to that point.
Speaker 3: Well, you know, you know, with the things that I
was going on, and like I said, you have to.
Speaker 2: Be mentally ready and prepared for a lot of things,
and and I wasn't mentally. I was physically and mostly
prepared for well half physically, because I still had to
show the injury and stuff. So I was I was
limited to what I can do, you know with that,
So I understand. I understood the position that I was in.
I understood the tools that I had.
Speaker 1: Are you going to show me a jab?
Speaker 3: Is what I want to know?
Speaker 2: You got to be that you're going. You gotta be
there to twenty seven. I'll watching it and to find
out I'm watching it. Yeah, for sure. I think I'm
like I said, I think I'm you know, I can
say whatever I.
Speaker 3: Want, you know what I mean, just.
Speaker 2: Talk to the other coaches or talk to my sparing
partners and get their their opinion about it, because I
can say anything, you know, I I no one have returned.
Speaker 3: You know, I'm injury free. I could.
Speaker 2: I can honestly say that, you know what I mean.
And it's a great feeling to feel that way. You know,
if you know, if anybody nobody shows, they know, that's
the long that's the that's the longest recovery on the
body that can take place at least one of them.
Speaker 1: So you know, I would say the division is sort
of there's a pathway right now. There's fights that are
taking place. You got Dui and who's sick in the
rematch that's going to be for the undisputed title. A
lot of guys are tied up with things. Tyson Fury
year old. Foe says he's retired. We'll see if we
actually believe that. I don't think a lot of people do.
The big fight still for you, even if it's not
what it was five years ago, would have been you
and Joshua. Of course, Anthony Joshua, you were both undefeated,
you both had titles. Would have been for the undisputed
championship was a huge fight at the time. Is that
the fight that you have? I mean, if you can't
get the title fight, which I know you want, is
that still sort of like the goal fight to finally
you and Joshua to lock up in a fight that
even today still a lot of people would like to see.
Speaker 2: I'm sure, yeah, I mean, that's the number one fighter
a lot of people would feel like to see.
Speaker 3: It's surprising to me.
Speaker 2: I just got this, uh question yesterday about it, and
and they were reaching out to a lot of I
don't know however they did it a pole or whatever
whatever they did, and people are still interested in it.
Speaker 3: And you know, I'm in I'm in the business.
Speaker 2: So if that fight come about and it's real, then
of course, you know what I mean. But I won't
believe until me and him is in the ring actions face.
Speaker 1: You did have a signed contract when you were on
the doubleheader together.
Speaker 3: He got to win.
Speaker 1: Unfortunately for the sake of that fight, you obviously didn't
get the victory in that kind of went by the wayside,
so you.
Speaker 2: But you know, it's it's still a lot of stuff
that goes into details of that how that even occurred.
Speaker 1: But and he took he took a hard loss. Since
then he got knocked out badly by Dubat.
Speaker 3: So yeah, you know, yeah, so there's been a lot
of mistracks and stuff like that. You know what I mean.
I mean, I believe in divine timing.
Speaker 2: I believe if it's gonna happen, it will happen and
is appropriate time and only then. You know, I still
have my I still have my feelings towards why it
didn't happen way way back years ago, you know, when
I was willing, ready or able to do so, but
unfortunately Death Side wasn't as honest.
Speaker 3: To people as they should be or whatever. Just let
it know, you know. That's why you know I have
a problem sometime with certain things come back. Why you
say this? Why? Because I'm I'm the realist in boxer.
I'm gonna speak my piece.
Speaker 2: I haven't lied about anything I've said, no matter what
people may dissect or whatever, they won't say I make
an excuse about I risked my life, so I don't
want to lie about anything when it comes to box.
Speaker 1: Are there any regrets though that it didn't happen five
six years ago when it was the biggest fight in
the heavyweight division, one of the biggest fights in the
whole sport.
Speaker 2: It's not a regret on my end, because I know
I try. I know my team we try everything possible
to make that fight happen, and we can live with that.
And that's the that's the God hon is true, you
know what I mean. If God came down right now,
he would let everybody know what real is.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: I don't know about the end because you know it's
a different story, you know. But for me, like I said, Dan,
I ain't never lied about anything in boxing or whatever.
Whether people believe what I said or not. You know,
I kept it real, and that's why I can sleep
at night.
Speaker 3: You know. Of course we would have made some great
money and it would have been a great fight. It
would have been in the history of things.
Speaker 2: But it was out of my con throw. I did everything,
even even even accepted to say lower money.
Speaker 1: But he's not taking for a fight now. He wants
to fight this fall. Deontay Wilder wins in June. Seems
to timing would be set up very well to do
that match up maybe at the end of this year.
Is that is that would be?
Speaker 3: Is that?
Speaker 1: Like you're the mean thing you would want even before
a title fight, or would you potentially even though the
titles will be tied off, you probably wouldn't get it
timing wise.
Speaker 2: Uh. I mean, that's just something that my managers didn't
when once the discussing happened and is real, they had
to come to.
Speaker 3: Discuss with me.
Speaker 2: But at the meantime, I'm gonna continue in my core
of what I'm doing and what we're trained to do.
Speaker 3: You know what I mean. I you know, it's.
Speaker 2: Like the same fool me one, stame on, you fool me,
fool me twice in the same team, and I don't
want to get my hopes up and I don't want
to mislead anyone until oh yeah man, you know, you
know I make money. Make sure I'm ready now. It's
more than that, more than that, you know. I understand
that I can want to fight so badly, but it
doesn't matter how bad I want it. He gotta want
it as well, and the people.
Speaker 3: That's around him must want it as well as well
as my people must want it.
Speaker 2: And it can't be one person have one side of
the store and the other ones that don't want to
have another side.
Speaker 3: And it's it's confusing to people if people.
Speaker 2: Want to know who this is what, because at the
end of the day, it don't matter by records, it
don't matter. It doesn't matter, It don't matter even by
who to fight. People just want to stay a great fight.
Would I'll go fight him anywhere, even if it's in hell.
Speaker 3: But I'm gonna get out of there.
Speaker 1: So let me ask you one more thing about what
you got coming up on, Freddick. Are we gonna see
another big Deontay Wilder knockout? Because that's the calling card, obviously,
that's what everybody knows you for.
Speaker 3: Yeah, man, And I smile when I say that.
Speaker 1: Man, it's been a while.
Speaker 3: It's been a while. It's been a while. I've had
a lot of things going on. And I got to
tell people that, especially my fans, that I.
Speaker 2: Forgive me for for for for my lack luster of
performing my last few fights. Is just I had a
lot of stuff going on. I didn't know how to
handle it. I didn't know what to do. I didn't
you know, until I figure out what to do and
how to handle it, you know, it should be a
different outcome. Now, it will be a different outcome, and
you should it will be a different outcome this time around,
and and and and and and the fights to come.
You know, we all go through things, you know, we're
not robots fighters were really we still go through things
in life, trials and fibulations, up and down, you know,
people taking advantage of us all the.
Speaker 3: Time, you know, and we just try to we do
things and figure things out as it is. And unfortunately, you.
Speaker 2: Know, my time has came alone with things has disrupted
my life, you know, from going on, a lot of
betrayal has happened, and I just in injury. You know,
a lot of things have occurred like a domino effect
from years and years out. And I'm just I'm just human.
I have to take it one day at a time,
one step at a time, to get it right. And
that's why I'm here now. I'm not giving up. I
can't give up. So many people still look up to me,
you know, to this day, and I like to leave
by example. So here we are Dune the twenty seven
with Soke Kansas. I can't wait. You know, this is
gonna be a revealed not only for myself but for
a lot of other people.
Speaker 3: I know, I'm ready, I know I'm right. I know,
I'm back.
Speaker 2: It's just time to put the action in because I
can say all I want. We just say, had many
of things before and the outcome has been different than
what the as being.
Speaker 3: But I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty confident and what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: You know, as we've been talking about, you know, some
of the stuff that's gone on recent fights, obviously talking
about the big knockouts that you got. I would have
never asked you this before, and I was ringsigned for
almost all of them. Do you have a favorite knockout
because you've had so many spectacular ones.
Speaker 3: I don't have.
Speaker 2: I don't have one, you know, and people Arthur spoke,
I must be honest. Yeah, Arthur was good. But if
I had to pick, I tell people if I had
to pick, and when and and and when?
Speaker 3: I when asked.
Speaker 2: That question, the first thing to come to my head is, uh, Dominique.
Speaker 1: Brazil another great.
Speaker 3: One knockout, you know what I mean?
Speaker 1: And herd Rematches another one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but you know, all of them means a lot
to me because of the you know it was, you know, Uh,
I respect all fighters to step in the ring. You know,
I always tell we all risk in our lives for
others entertainment, and I highly respect every fighter no matter
what this skill level is. You know, we all other
one percent and you gotta give your hat, you take
your hass off to these fighters. So you know, with
that being said, every time I go in, there is
a glorifying moment in time for every knockout. That's why
I don't really particularly have a have a favorite. But
if I go with my heart, and when people ask
me that.
Speaker 3: The first the first picture that comes to.
Speaker 2: My head or image that comes to my head is
that now it may change ten years later they say,
I I was just safe, buzz and a.
Speaker 3: Lot of things about us change every.
Speaker 1: Time, and maybe it'll be on Friday night it'll be
your favorite here right, maybe we have to see all right, Deontay,
I appreciate that very much. It's been my privilege to
be ring cycling any of your biggest knockouts. I wish
you the best of luck against Tyrol Herndon. I look
forward to washing it. Thank you very much for doing this,
SA good luck to you.
Speaker 3: Yes, sir, thank you so much, so all my fans.
I love this God so much.
Speaker 2: As soon then if you can be there snow up
during the twenty seven TASS Cocarna Can't beat our ip.
Speaker 3: YouView dot com.
Speaker 2: Baby, I'll see you guys there and I see whether
I see you there or where you're suing.
Speaker 3: Then thank you for your love and so much and
may God bless you happy. You don't think