Deontay Wilder has grandiose plans when it comes to his legacy.
As soon as he hangs up his gloves, the Alabaman believes he will be the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time, and even perhaps the best ever boxer.
“When I leave boxing, I will be known as the one that was the best ever in the heavyweight division, if not in boxing, period. That’s my goal,” said Wilder. “When I retire, people are going to be upset, because they’re going to want to see more. I try to provide them with a lot of things while I’m here. That’s why I say, ‘give me my roses now. Love me now.’ Because I am the best to have ever done this. I am the hardest hitting puncher in boxing history.”
Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs) meets Tyson Fury (29-0-1, 20 KOs) on Feb. 22 in a highly anticipated heavyweight showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas as part of an unprecedented Fox and ESPN pay-per-view promotion. The WBC champion since 2015 believes a definitive win against Fury will help make his case once his career comes to a close.
“This fight will only add to my legacy. I consider Fury one of the best of the division. It’s going to be amazing to knock him out and put him on my resume,” said Wilder. “There is no other fighter than him I’d rather face at this moment in time, and he accepted the challenge. I’m happy to be in this position right now. That’s something in my [people] we miss out on—that l-o-v-e, baby. Ain’t nothing wrong with a little love. Love is the key. We hang together and stick together. We’re all part of one race—the human race.”
Wilder sure has some stiff competition to surpass if he ever plans on cracking the all-time heavyweight conversation, an honor arguably owned by Muhammad Ali.
“You’re witnessing greatness. We all are great. But greatness is only determined by service. I only have six more years left, and when I retire, some people are going to be mad because they won’t get the satisfaction,” said Wilder. “It’s going to be a great fight. It’s unfinished business, it’s one of the biggest fights in the world. We celebrate for 15 minutes, and then we keep on moving.”
–boxingscene.com
