Deontay Wilder is on the verge of a must-win fight against Derek Chisora, heading into a first major contest with his new head trainer.
Leading up that fight ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has opened up on his feelings towards former coach, Malik Scott, following their split.
Wilder knocked Scott out back in 2014 but appointed the Philadelphia-born heavyweight as his head trainer in 2021, ahead of his fabled trilogy clash with Tyson Fury.
Whilst Wilder was unable to regain the heavyweight throne against ‘The Gypsy King’, the difference between his performance in the third fight compared to their rematch was clear for all to see, and that was enough to convince Wilder that Scott should remain in his corner.
Yet, Wilder would go on to win only one of his four contests under Scott’s tutelage, defeating Robert Helenius by first round knockout but losing out to both Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang to seemingly end any possibility of regaining his world title.
In an interview with talkSPORT, Wilder revealed that Scott was not to blame for any of those losses, stating that he could have had the legendary Emanuel Steward in his corner and it would not have changed the outcomes.
“Malik and I never had a plan in place in terms of how long we would work together, but I think he did an amazing job.
“I could have had Emanuel Steward in my corner, and the results would have been the same because mentally I wasn’t there anymore.
“The results that happened when Malik was here were not his fault. The way I look at it, we both won. He built me up to where I am now mentally, and I helped him boost his resume as a trainer.”
Last year, Wilder made the decision to move on from Scott, upgrading coach Don House, who has trained over 28 champions in UFC and boxing, to lead cornerman – a move which Wilder labelled as a ‘natural transition’.
“He’s usually the head trainer, but when he first came on board with me, he had no problem stepping to one side and doing certain things to be a part of the team.
“Now, it’s the time for him to step up, and he took the opportunity with both hands. Don and I were getting to know each other while Malik was in that spot, so when the transition happened, it was natural.
“I always knew he was a great trainer, but just because you are a great trainer doesn’t mean you are the right fit for a certain type of fighter.
“A trainer and a fighter have to have a bond. So once we built the relationship, I felt he was ready to take over.”
In his solitary fight with House in charge, Wilder registered a first victory in 32 months, as he halted Tyrrell Herndon to get back to winning ways.
Now, in their first major fight together, Wilder hopes to re-emerge as a title threat by overcoming Chisora on Saturday, April 4, at the O2 Arena in London.