Deontay Wilder says “No” to Floyd Mayweather training him

By Boxing News - 11/02/2020 - Comments

By Allan Fox: Deontay Wilder says he’s not interested in being trained by Floyd Mayweather Jr, who he sees as just looking to get publicity by making the offer to coach him. Wilder sees Mayweather’s interest as self-serving to gain the spotlight off of him.

Former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) asks why Mayweather has come forward looking to give him a helping hand?

Wilder doesn’t believe that Mayweather is sincere about wanting to help him and sees him as just looking to get publicity.

Deontay says Mayweather has bet against him in the past, and he feels no love from him.  Wilder does need a coach, though, to take over as his trainer after he parted ways with Mark Breland recently.

Whoever it is that ends up as Wilder’s coach, it won’t be Mayweather.

Image: Deontay Wilder says "No" to Floyd Mayweather training him

Wilder suspicious of Mayweather’s motives

“My thing is, every fighter I’ve fought, Floyd has bet against me,” Wilder said to Barbershop Conversations when asked if he’d be interested in being trained by Mayweather.

“It ain’t even for me to discuss. Why all of a sudden, do you want to train [me]? Even with Mark [Breland], ‘I need [a trainer], Mark ain’t on the team no more.’ Nobody had anything good to say about my trainers before, but all of a sudden, ‘You need him.’

All this time, and all of a sudden now? Why? I don’t need anybody. I’ve made it all this far. Why do I need to change up anything? Of course, we need to replace, and you’re going to see what it is. But nobody has reached out to me.

“It’s publicity. When I see people do that stuff, it’s for publicity. But to the offer [from Mayweather], thank you, but no thank you. I don’t feel any love from that man [Mayweather], bro. Their actions don’t show that.

“It’s fake love to me, but they know that themselves. They can’t look me in the eyes and tell me they care about me and want to see me do well.

“They can’t look me in the eyes and be sincere about that because I would feel them. They can’t do that because they know it’s not real. It’s not. It’s for publicity and stuff,” said Wilder.

We don’t know how serious Mayweather was about wanting to take over as the trainer for Wilder. It doesn’t matter, though, because Wilder is not considering him.

Deontay critical of Mayweather

“With Floyd, he has great fighters, but he don’t even promote them like that,” Deontay said. “Every time you see him, it’s about him. I’m just going by what I see.

“Every time I see him, it’s about me, myself and I. At some point in time, when you’ve done what you’ve done in the world and provided your greatness, it’s time for you to release that energy to somebody else that’s trying to make it and is trying to be like you.

“You’re supposed to reach down and help them because you’ve already been established. I know everybody wants to stay relevant, but not as far as boxers.

Image: Deontay Wilder says "No" to Floyd Mayweather training him

“I’m just going to continue to provide my greatness for the next five years, and when I’m gone, people are going to miss me because they see it’s boring now.  The heavyweight division ain’t s*** without Wilder.

“They know that because there ain’t nobody that got what I have. The excitement. The things that I do and the things that I say. I don’t go against my grain. I go with the grain. I fight for my people,” said Wilder.

Wilder and Mayweather would be an interesting team if they did work with each other. Mayweather would have a lot to teach Wilder, and he wouldn’t have a lot of time to learn all the stuff that he needs.

Wilder plans on fighting in 2021, and it’s unclear who his next opponent will be. He’d like to face Tyson Fury in a trilogy, but that’s not going to happen.