Mark Breland makes public statement on Deontay Wilder

By Boxing News - 02/09/2021 - Comments

By Jeff Aronow: Trainer Mark Breland posted an earth-shattering three-page statement on Instagram today, skewering his former employer Deontay Wilder over the comments he’s made about him since his loss to Tyson Fury a year ago.

Breland set things straight in his post, revealing how his coaching relationship had devolved to the point where he was finally let go by Wilder.

Breland clarified in his lengthy post on social media that the former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) was unpredictable. Unteachable and highly temperamental.

Breland said he didn’t have Wilder’s phone number at the end and that everything that he needed to tell the Bronze Bomber had to be run by Jay Deas, one of Deontay’s other coaches first.

It’s interesting because Breland is the one that actually had a boxing career, and yet he’s saying that he had to talk to Deas first when it came to things he needed to tell Deontay to try and improve him.

Image: Mark Breland makes public statement on Deontay Wilder

“My time in the coach position with the Bronze Bomber changed drastically in the 12 years since I started with him,” Breland said in his statement on Instagram.

“So Jay Deas was seen as the head trainer, but I was the only one on the team, but I was the only one on the team with a boxing resume and I was the only trainer. This was okay with me because of my humility.

“After Deontay became a name in boxing, new members joined the team and it got to the point where I didn’t even have my fighter’s phone number. I haven’t spoken to Deontay alone in years.

“The things that I told Deontay to do had to be ran past Jay [Deas]. Deontay had become untrainable because he was at the point of, ‘He knew more about boxing than any of us.’ So teaching a correct jab was not a priority to learn once he continued on his knockout streak,” said Breland.

Breland saying that he hadn’t had Wilder’s phone number for years sounds like he was marginalized to a degree. It’s unknown why Breland wasn’t given Wilder’s number. Did Breland not ask Wilder or Deas for his number? He doesn’t say.

If Breland didn’t ask, that’s a situation where he wasn’t assertive in the way that he should have. But if Breland did ask and was told that he couldn’t have it, that’s something different. Was there a pecking order when it came to Breland and the other coaches on Wilder’s team?

If only one coach had Wilder’s ear, Breland was in a position where he wasn’t going to be able to train him. Wilder said in an interview that people had told him to get rid of Breland about how he had outgrown him, but he chose to keep him.

But what we don’t know is if Wilder no longer saw value in keeping Breland around, but he didn’t have the heart to let him go. We really don’t know what’s going on there with that relationship.

You can speculate about whether Wilder still viewed Breland as someone who could teach him anything new, even though he was a two-time welterweight world champion and 1984 Olympic gold medalist.

Image: Mark Breland makes public statement on Deontay Wilder

As you can see, the situation was untenable for Breland, and it’s surprising and sad that he endured it for 12 years if what he says is true. Not being able to talk to Wilder alone, not having his phone number, sounds like a bad relationship.

Assuming Breland had to talk to Jay Deas first when trying to coach Wilder, that might explain why the Bronze Bomber never showed signs of improvement all these years and why he lacked an uppercut left hook to go along with his mighty right hand.

It’s a testament to Wilder’s right hand that he was able to get this far in his career without getting beaten before he met up with Fury in their rematch last year. But part of that might be the opposition that Wilder had faced during his career.

He really didn’t face anyone super talented until he met up with Fury in 2018, and he arguably should have lost that fight.

 

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