Deontay Wilder is getting out of his comfort zone in order to grow as a fighter

Quitting is easy. That's why a lot of people do it. So, what would motivate a former ex-champion who is well-off financially and has achieved both Olympic and professional success? In pro sports, "it can’t just be on you, it’s got to be in you," said by the great Nipsey Hustle. Passion is like an involuntary muscle next to the heart, or some other cool sci-fi explanation you can think of to describe what separates the greats from the rest. Deontay Wilder is back in the lab to show why it's in him on October 15th, 2022. "Deontay is a pleasure to work with because, fortunately or unfortunately, he has a lot of ability that he doesn’t tap into. "I believe in being fundamentally sound," says Malik Scott, who goes on to say that for the nuances pertaining to sound, craft, and sequence, he’s the guy for the job. Scott considers his work with Deontay Wilder to be the most important job he’s had professionally, as he feels overqualified in that his specialty is being matched with a need that will make a great fighter even better.

That victory was followed by three wars against Tyson Fury, all of which ended in controversy and failed to produce the results Wilder, and his team expected. On September 22nd, 2022, at the UFC facility in Las Vegas, NV, Wilder tells reporters how motivated he’s been and the challenges and expectations he's had since implementing a new approach to his training regiment. Wilder defined this part of his career as being in a place where financially he’s taken care of and the only thing keeping him driven for legacy and continued success is his passion. Wilder has posted several times, tallying up the rounds he’s clocked in. As Malik Scott puts it, "Deontay is chasing tired" and my response to that was "So you're getting him comfortable with being uncomfortable" and Scott confirmed that’s exactly what they're going for pertaining to his conditioning. This is not the Deontay Wilder I’m used to seeing, was my first thought, as he and Scott work through those nuances and sequences I mentioned before. No, this was either the biggest welterweight I’ve ever seen or the work of Malik Scott, turning a power-dependent fighter into a technician with power. Under the guidance of Scott, Wilder looks to be a lot more comfortable dealing with movement and being in a position that’s more favorable for him to either counter, lead, or defend without being off balance. It’s been said by many that Wilder is who he is at this point and anything he learns will be abandoned the minute he finds himself in trouble and will resort back to his old self. One thing I do know is that Scott does not want to tamper with Wilder’s killer instinct. His plan for Wilder is to have the fundamentals in between those moments where he needs to dictate pace and set his opponent up for what we all know and expect from a Wilder fight, which is a knockout. So, what motivates a successful athlete to compete when they don't need the fame or money? Is it a desire to add to an already established legacy, pure passion for the sport, an unresolved vendetta with their critics, or some other external motivator? The Bronze Bomber has his reasons and on October 15th, 2022 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclay Center, the Bronze Bomber will illustrate why he’s still chasing greatness.