By Kenneth Friedman: Deontay Wilder has decided to keep his trainer Mark Breland after all in the aftermath of his decision to throw in the towel to have his fight against Tyson Fury stopped. Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) says Breland will remain part of his team.
Wider isn’t saying if Breland will remain in his corner during fights. If Wilder keeps Breland on the bench by not using him as his cornerman during fights, then that’ll be interpreted by fans as a demotion for the long-time trainer, who has been with him since the start of his career.
“If I have to go out, I want to go out on my shield. But I understand my corner and my team has my best interest at heart. Mark Breland is still a part of Team Wilder,” said Deontay in a statement.
A lot of fans have spoken out in coming down hard on the former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder for him criticizing Breland for his decision to save Wilder from taking needless punishment in the 7th round in the Fury rematch. Wilder was getting beaten up on the ropes, and he was no longer capable of throwing shots back.
The argument that many people have in favor of Breland throwing in the towel is the fact that Wilder was not only not able to defend himself properly, he also wasn’t throwing anything back at Fury. He was there in body only, taking a shellacking from ‘The Gypsy King.’
Wilder said in a statement on Friday that “our team looks forward to preparing for the rematch.”
Now that Wilder’s training team know that they’re potentially putting their jobs on the line if they stop his next, it’ll be up to the referee to save him if Fury is beating him up again. The good news is the referee will likely be aware of Wilder’s wish to go out on his shield, and he’s not likely to let that happen. Wilder will make the referee look bad if he just stands there and lets Fury beat the living daylights out of him a second time.
Some fans have been saying that Breland should quit and no longer work with Wilder after this experience. While that idea sounds good to some, it would mean that Breland would be walking away from a lot of money.
As a trainer for a popular heavyweight like Wilder, Breland is likely making a lot of money each fight. If he quits that gig with Wilder, he might not get the same kind of money training someone else.
If Breland stays on to the bitter end of Wilder’s career, he’ll do well for himself with the money he makes. Wilder had recently said that he wants to fight for another six years. Whether he’s changed his mind about that is unknown. It’ll likely depend on how well Wilder’s career is going.
