Is Deontay Wilder Blaming the Wrong People for His Downfall?
On February 22, 2020 Deontay Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) lost the WBC World Heavyweight title by a stunning seventh-round TKO loss to Tyson Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs). In the nearly 12 months since, a lot of accusations and innuendo have been thrown around regarding that fight. Much of this has come from Wilder himself. He has hurled charges of foul play before and during the fight. That includes accusations that his now-former trainer, Mark Breland, spiked his water and did not do right by him during the fight.
In the months following the fight, Wilder fired Breland as his trainer. Having stayed relatively silent since the fight, Breland appeared on The Fight Is Right podcast with co-hosts Tunde Ajayi and Spencer Fearon. The former trainer was asked about that fight and all the uproar that has followed.
“My character speaks for itself. If you look at the tapes, you never see the water in my hand. Someone else was giving him water.
Regardless of that, I’m there to help you, not to get you hurt. When you win, I win, that’s the bottom line.”
A look at the fight proves Breland to be correct. It was in fact assistant trainer Jay Deas who was providing Wilder with water in-between rounds.
Another one of the many allegations from Wilder involved Fury’s gloves. The former champ has claimed that Fury’s mitts were loaded. However, during his appearance on The Fight Is Right, Breland puts some holes in that theory. In his mind, if something was done wrong by Fury or anyone else, Wilder is blaming the wrong person.
“I don’t know. I didn’t see anything. But at the same time, he’s not going to beat Tyson Fury regardless. Jay Deas was standing right there when he was getting his hands wrapped. ”
Watching a fighter get his hands wrapped is critical. State and athletic commission view this process. More importantly, a fighter will assign someone from their ranks to go into their opponent’s dressing room to also view this procedure. The question then begs, why is all the finger-pointing by Wilder being directed largely at Breland? Why was he given the boot and Jay Deas is retained?
It all adds up to a lack of true accountability from the fighter. Based on Breland’s comments to Ajayi and Fearon, it also shows that Wilder is placing blame on the wrong people. Given the trainer’s reputation and standing, he will get the benefit of the bout. Sadly, one fight can cause friction between a fighter and a trainer. It is an ugly and unfortunate reality of the sport.
In the end, it is one man’s word versus another. But fans and insiders know that Breland is someone of integrity and respect. That carries a lot more gravitas than what many feel are misguided and wild conspiracies. The fallout from Wilder-Fury II continues.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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