Deontay Wilder and Johan Duhaupas weigh in before Saturday fight

Now that Floyd Mayweather Jr.is allegedly retired, heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder wants to carry the torch for boxing. The Klitschko era can not last forever and Wilder plans to bring all the belts back to America. I am the heavyweight champion, and the heavyweights are the cream of the crop and now it’s our turn. “He’s the man for the job”.

Wilder got his start boxing at age 21 – long after most boxers have already honed their skills.

Where can I watch Deontay Wilder vs. Johann Duhaupas online? I don’t even read anything. We’re just training in my town in France because I need to train close to my family. How obscure is the 34-year-old Duhaupas? Join us for a live chat and scoring of Deontay Wilder-Johann Duhaupas.

Fans want to see Wilder face Wladimir Klitschko in a title unification bout.

In 1985, the year that is sure to be referenced during the telecast by the NBC broadcast team of Marv Albert, Al Michaels and Sugar Ray Leonard, there were monumental highs – such as Villanova shocking Georgetown for the NCAA basketball championship, widely considered the biggest upset ever in college hoops – and colossal lows, such as the failed introduction of New Coke, which was pulled from the shelves nearly faster than it took Mike Tyson to pulverize Michael Spinks.

The co-feature of the evening will see 2012 Olympic heavyweight Dominic Breazeale locking horns with Fred Kassi. Wilder (34-0, 33 KOs) looked like he was made out of granite a day ahead his headlining bout inside the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala and weighed in officially at 228.6 pounds. So he’s not picking those guys. “This guy can be an instant millionaire in one night”. Duhaupas was picked because he has never been stopped and because Wilder believes the Frenchman will be aiming to make history by becoming the first heavyweight champion of the world from his country. “I think he’s the best type of opponent for me”. When you fight someone who can say that, and he has a real good record, it’s not a walkover. Wilder says he feels no pressure to perform but knows how far a stellar performance will go for his career. This fight, I was more rested and the world got to really see what I can do. “I want to defend and put my title on the line as much as possible”.

“If anyone is looking past Duhaupas, it’s not us”. Deontay knows what a challenge this is.

Wilder said he fully expects to fight Klitschko in the future but is not looking past Duhaupas. Some of my European friends called me and said, ‘Don’t look past him. In recent years, many in the boxing industry have suggested what boxing needs is another hard-punching American heavyweight to come along with style and a similar appeal. Right now, there are two tall guys with power that are determined and dedicated.

What happened that night in the Nevada desert was a 15-rounder for the ages, one of the best heavyweight championship wars of all time, with Holmes out-slugging Norton in an epic 15th round to win a razor-thin split decision.

Duhaupas (32-2, 20 KOs) has been a pro since 2004.

One of his two losses was in March to Erkan Teper, who is the No. 10-ranked contender to Wilder’s title.

Duhaupas, who will be fighting outside of Europe for the first time, believes he is ready to pull off the upset.

“I’m fixin’ to find out Saturday”, Wilder said. But my advice to (Wilder) is not to get cocky. I am here for a reason, and that is to win the title on Saturday. “After all these years (of no heavyweight title fights on free TV), the fans deserve at least that”. “Because for him to make that statement basically is for him to criticize his own self, or talk bad about himself because if he’s talking about opponents or whatever, he’s been doing the same thing for over a decade”. I’m confident in myself and I’ll be equally as confident in the ring. I think he’s an outstanding athlete and that knockout percentage speaks for itself.

In addition to that, Wilder needs this victory if he hopes to increase his overall level of competition moving forward. “We know he’s ready”.

“This is my happiest point”.

“First of all, it’s an huge, enormous pleasure to be boxing here in the United States”, Duhaupas said through a translator.