AFTER defeating Johann Duhaupas in 11 rounds to defend the WBC heavyweight title, Deontay Wilder said, “I wasn’t feeling any pressure at all. I’m well experienced. I’ve been doing this for a while now. It’s tough fighting at home because you want to please and entertain the crowd. The people came out and they paid their hard-earned money so they definitely want to see a show and they got a show tonight.
“Duhaupas did everything we expected him to do. We knew he was tough. We knew he was mentally tough. We knew he was going to come. That’s why I tell people, ‘You can’t criticize anyone you don’t know. The scariest people are the ones you don’t know. They’re the most dangerous ones.’ He’s got a hell of a chin too.
“Coming in here, when you’re fighting for a world title, it brings a different beast, a very different animal, out of fighters. They come to get it on whether they’re home or on the road. You have to give him credit. He did an excellent job and he definitely has my respect.
“He was very strong, definitely has a nice chin. I see why he’s never been stopped before. With 32 wins and two losses, never been stopped. It was a great performance. That’s what it’s all about, bringing the title to Alabama and bringing these warriors here. I’d like to thank my Alabama fans, my fans worldwide and I’d like to thank the fans that tuned in to watch PBC on NBC. It was a wonderful night.
“I was prepared to go all 12 rounds, but I started listening to my corner. They were saying to put my punches in bunches. All you can do is listen to your corner.
“Hopefully, [Wladimir] Klitschko and I can fight sometime in the next year. We’ve got to get these mandatories out of the way first, so people have to stay patient. The key is to stay patient. This is a process and a business. That fight will surely come around as long as I keep winning, which I will, and as long as he keeps winning. That fight should come around real soon and we’ll have an undisputed world heavyweight champion, which will be me.
“Klitschko and I have sparred before. I’m the younger guy and the more time that goes by, that’s an advantage for me. Each and every fight, I prove a little bit more about what people don’t know about me. Of course I can take a punch. Of course I can punch and I can fight on the inside too. A lot of people don’t know that. I displayed a lot tonight and I’d like to thank my opponent for giving me the opportunity to show that tonight. Without his toughness and ability to keep coming, I wouldn’t have been able to display what I had.”
