Heavyweight champion Wilder explains how it felt to knock Bermane Stiverne out and release months of tension.

Prior to this weekend’s rematch with Bermane Stiverne, Deontay Wilder spoke for openly about a stress breakdown he not when he learned that previous opponent Luis Ortiz had failed a drugs test.

The bout was subsequently changed to Stiverne and since then Ortiz has been hit with a ban.

Following the fight with Stiverne, Wilder opened up on exactly how the moment he won felt after a torrid year:

“Especially with the (Luis) Ortiz situation came about. I really broke down. I don’t know, it was crazy. It took me back to my younger days when I was young and when I used to huff and puff and when I cried, you knew you had to get out of the way because he was going to be a Tasmanian devil. When Shelly (Shelly Finkel the renowned boxing manager) called me (with the news), when Shelly calls me I know there’s something wrong and when something’s going right by his voice.”

He continued:

“When he did that my heart dropped to my stomach. I bust out with tears. It was tears with anger because I wanted to prove myself so bad. I never wanted to prove myself so bad, not to me, but the world because so many people blame me for so many things that don’t have nothing to do with me. I tried to fight the best. I’ve called out the best. The best have not accepted my challenge. The best always take an easier route and that’s the facts of Deontay WIlder.”

Photo courtesy of Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions