Deontay Wilder has been synonymous with two letters throughout his career — KO.
However, Dominic Breazeale could think of three more letters to describe the WBC heavyweight champion — A-B-C.
After watching Wilder fight Tyson Fury to a split draw earlier this month, the heavyweight contender and mandatory challenger to “The Bronze Bomber’s” WBC title wasn’t impressed with the champ’s skills at all.
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“I knew Wilder had a couple of tricks in his bag, but seeing him fight against Tyson Fury, he’s nothing special, man,” Breazeale told Sporting News at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, New York just ahead of his media workout Wednesday. “I call him an ‘A-B-C fighter.’ All he does is throw the one-two. When it doesn’t work, he tries to throw it again. You saw in the Fury fight, where he didn’t make the adjustments. He was lunging with the right hand, he was out of position; when he does finally get a guy hurt, he looks wild like he’s in a street fight. So, his boxing skills, it’s hard for me to believe he’s been a champ for this long.”
As a caveat to Breazeale's criticism of Wilder, many of Wilder's opponents also tried to poke holes in the Tuscaloosa, Alabama native's boxing skills, vowing that they're going to expose him in the ring. But what's there to expose when Wilder fight after fight shows us who he is with that devastating right hand, which has propelled him to a 40-0-1 with 39 KOs?
Still, Breazeale added that he doesn’t think that Wilder is capable of making adjustments and expanding his fight game.
“At this point, you can’t change it. If you don’t got it by now, you’re not going to change it,” Breazeale continued. “I don’t think he has the ability to change it.”
While Breazeale was impressed with Fury slipping away from most of Wilder’s punches — despite the two knockdowns he suffered — the 6-7 heavyweight said the British boxer didn’t land enough power shots of his own.
“Tyson didn’t sit down on his punches, he didn’t drop any big bombs nor did he ever really hurt Wilder,” Breazeale said.
The Southern California native believes that he’d make Wilder pay for every miscue if they ever fight.
“Oh, definitely. I got bad intentions with both hands,” Breazeale said. “I throw the left hook, the right hand, whatever it may be. Any time I land the leather, somebody’s going to feel it. They’re going to know.”
Breazeale told Sporting News that he’s been doing everything in his power to force Wilder to give him his mandatory shot at the WBC strap, regularly emailing the WBC president and having his manager do much of the same, but to no avail as of yet.
“At this point, man, it’s one of those things where Deontay Wilder has got to drop his ball sack and fight me,” Breazeale said bluntly.
While the early talk seems to point toward a Wilder-Fury rematch being cemented soon or one would figure a Wilder-Anthony Joshua unification bout finally taking place, either scenario would leave Breazeale in the waiting room — a place he's tired of being in.
But the WBC mandatory challenger could do his part Saturday night, when he faces Carlos Negron on the Charlo twins’ co-headlining card at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“Our jab is going to be the most important thing in the fight,” Breazeale believes. “I don’t know if he’s ever been in the ring with a heavyweight the size of me, so I think I’m going to be the problem for him Saturday night.”
At 33, Breazeale (19-1, 17 KOs) could take solace knowing that the one blemish on his professional ledger came via a seventh-round TKO at the hands of unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua back in June 2016. The fight, which took place in London, had Breazeale stubbornly hanging around with Joshua, until the champion overwhelmed him. While the loss was stinging, the experience gained was invaluable.
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“You always learn more from your losses than your wins,” Breazeale said. “I learned a lot going into the fight, a lot coming out of it. Punch-for-punch, I was right there with him. Of course, he was the better man for the day.”
Breazeale will try to be better man Saturday night, with a win seemingly strengthening his case for Wilder to finally give him a shot.
And if he gets that shot against "The Bronze Bomber," Breazeale will either prove his "A-B-C" theory right or wind up on the receiving end of a KO. Which will it be?
