WILL THERE BE A SWITCH IN DEONTAY WILDER’S CORNER?

The chatter after a loss depends on the expectations coming in.

Many folks thought WBC heavyweight titlist Deontay Wilder would have his way with lineal champion Tyson Fury and when he didn’t, and a draw was announced at the end of the December 1 tango in California, well, chatter ensued. Some of it quite pointed, in fact.

Quite a lot was centered on, tightly so, I think, how effective Fury was, how his skill and strategy earned him props (and maybe gained him the win).

And of course, we heard talk about what Wilder didn’t do…and what he did wrong…and what he could do differently next time.

And there were those who shifted attention away from the fighter and to his foe, toward his corner.

Would there be changes? Jay Deas and Mark Breland hold it down; will that duo remain in place?

I asked Deas just that. Will there be an addition to the trainer slot next tine? “No truth” to that rumor, Deas said. And is the esteemed Breland still aboard the Wilder train?  He is, Deas confirmed.

So with that issue tabled, for now, what about how Wilder is staying in the news cycle a week-and-a-half after his bout? Smart stuff, if he is building toward staying in that pay-per-view realm. You saw that the “Bronze Bomber” took it to this era’s GOAT, Floyd Mayweather Jr., for not giving him a fair shake, while assessing the Fury fight and for being a lousy promoter, who doesn’t want to shift the spotlight from himself toward his stable of fighters. Yep, Wilder went there and lobbed word grenades at another within the Al Haymon Boxing umbrella. How many Floyd fighters are big-time stars? And why does he promote himself at press conferences for his fighters’ fights? “He doesn’t let them progress and grow,” said Wilder, dissing Floyd the Promoter heavily.

Wilder is no fool; he chose a spicy topic and that ensured his name keeps being bandied about.

But of course, no one in boxing plays that game better than Floyd himself. I assume Floyd will return fire, though sometimes he likes to serve up his counter cold, when a rival isn’t expecting it.