Deontay Wilder reportedly is sticking with Mark Breland.
Breland, the former heavyweight titleholder’s longtime co-trainer, irked Wilder when he threw in the towel to save the fighter from taking further punishment from Tyson Fury in their rematch on Feb. 22 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Wilder was taking punches with his back to a corner in the seventh round when referee Kenny Bayless, heeding Breland’s wishes, waved off the fight.
Afterward, Wilder insisted that he and his team members had an understanding that no fight of his would be stopped in such a fashion, in part because he can end any bout with one punch. Hence, he was frustrated after Breland’s actions.
In the end, though, he understands where Breland’s heart was. He sent ESPN a statement before he left for a trip to Africa explaining his position.
“I’m a warrior,” he said. “I feel the same way I felt on fight night – if I have to go out, I want to go out on my shield. But I understand that my corner and my team has my best interest at heart. Mark Breland is still a part of Team Wilder and our team looks forward to preparing for the [trilogy fight].”
Wilder has made it clear that he intends to demand a third fight with Fury, as per their contract for the rematch.
The contract reportedly stipulates that the rematch must take place before July 18 but, according to ESPN, Bob Arum, Fury’s co-promoter, said the new champ would be willing to give Wilder more time if necessary.
The rematch, which was heavily marketed, generated between 800,000 and 850,000 pay-per-view buys in the United States, according to reports. That’s the highest number for a heavyweight fight since Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson drew 1.99 million in 2002 but well below some of the biggest lower-weight fights in recent years.