Deontay Wilder Vows To Be ‘Selfish’ Ahead of His Return

On his latest appearance on the Ariel Helwani Show , Wilder stood firm on becoming an updated version of himself and opened up about finally finding comfort and peace within.

“I feel like a different person,” he said. “This Deontay Wilder, he’s more at peace, mentally, physically and emotionally. A lot of things that I was doing, I did for others. I was selfless. I took care of a lot of people.”

Wilder confessed that while he had selflessly helped a lot of people, it took a lot of time for him to realize that there was a limit to how much he could help them. Moreover, often, he found that the shoulder of support he lent was unappreciated.

This statement comes as no surprise, as Wilder’s inner circle has become considerably smaller over the past few years. He parted ways with his former trainer, Mark Breland, in 2020 after Breland threw in the towel during Wilder’s rematch loss to Tyson Fury, an action that he felt showed Breland’s lack of commitment. His former trainer, Jay Deas, was also missing during the Fury fight.

“At this moment in time, I’m selfish,” he said. “It’s all about me having fun and going there and just having a great time. And that’s the difference. I feel more free. When you do it for yourself, you ain’t worried about letting anyone down, you ain’t worried about making mistakes, you ain’t worried about anything.”

“It’s Like A Dagger In Your Heart”

Letting go of people has not been an easy feat for Wilder. While he had to see his inner circle grow smaller, Wilder admitted that it was harder for him to hold on to people owing to their betrayal.

“If anyone has dealt with betrayal, you understand the feeling of it,” he said during the same interview with Helwani. “You took people to places where they never would have been without you in their lives or present at any given time. And then, when they betray you, it’s like a dagger in your heart. I tell people it’s 10 times worse than a heartbreak. But for me, it’s just been a domino effect. Year after year after year.”