Deontay Wilder Feels Compelled to Prove He’s the World’s Best Heavyweight

@BronzeBomber Szpilka who?? Lol you are a dreamer with skinny legs & body I will break u, fight me in 2016 after a beat wladamir again?????

@Tyson_Fury You’re a fat porn star that wears no underwear with a very hairy chest. Just promise me and the world you will fight me in 2016?

It was kind of funny. That was the Twitter discourse on Jan. 6 between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, the man who dethroned former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in November.

Hopefully, there will be a real exchange between Wilder and Fury by the end of this year. In the meantime, Wilder, who holds the WBC piece of the heavyweight title puzzle, will take on what may not be an easy respite in rugged Polish southpaw Artur Szpilka on Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, as part of a free Showtime weekend. The fight will also stream live and free on Sherdog.com.

While many believe Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs) is the overwhelming favorite, you would not know it by his defensiveness. During a photo shoot at the World Trade Center promoting the fight on Sunday, the two got into a heated nose-to-nose exchange and had to be separated. Wilder played the role of instigator. Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs) bit on the bait. As Szpilka was doing an interview, Wilder’s loud background shouts drowned out what the Pole was saying to a television crew. Szpilka took exception, yelling at Wilder, “You’re going down.” Wilder, of course, had to react.

With any luck, their fight will carry more fireworks than the words and spittle they threw at each other. It also speaks volumes about Wilder’s mindset.

This fight is supposed to be historical, touted at the first world heavyweight title bout in Brooklyn since James J. Jeffries knocked out James J. Corbett in the 23rd round of the scheduled 25-round heavyweight world championship fight -- 115 years ago.

Ever since Wilder won the WBC belt, “The Bronze Bomber” has seemed to carry a chip on his shoulder, always self-justifying his status, as if his title is not taken seriously. Though he says the right things about how every heavyweight contender wants the “green (WBC) belt” and how his version of the heavyweight pie means more than what others have, there is this lingering hollowness to his words. Wilder speaks as if he is trying to convince anyone within ear shot of something, something that in the back of his mind may plague him: That he is the “true” heavyweight champion, like Klitschko was for a decade.

“I don’t care what anyone thinks, I’m the best heavyweight in the world and they all want what I have,” Wilder said. “I’m the most athletic heavyweight in the division -- period. I’ve got the highest knockout ratio in the division. I have the power, and I’m looking to perform, not only for my fans, not just for New York, but for his Polish fans.

“I know I’ll be up against it,” the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, native added. “I’ll be wearing my crimson [in honor of the University of Alabama winning another national championship in college football]. There’s going to be a big Polish community there, and I’m looking forward to gaining his fans, too, and taking some home with me.”

For now, Wilder will put his focus into trying to stop Szpilka, whose loss was against Bryant Jennings in January 2014. The Pole appears tailor-made for Wilder, despite the fact that he is a southpaw. Szpilka will come right at Wilder, which could make for an up-tempo, quick night for someone. That someone will most likely be Szpilka.

“Szpilka is really no threat; he won’t pressure me,” Wilder said. “My only struggle was the time. This happened fast, so we had to get the right sparring guys in here. My focus is on [Szpilka] right now. All of the other stuff, speculation about who I’m going to fight next, will have to wait. My ultimate goal is to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. That won’t change. I won’t stop until I accomplish that, but I have to take this step first.”

Joseph Santoliquito is the president of the Boxing Writer's Association of America and a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com's mixed martial arts and boxing coverage. His archive can be found here.