(Video Above: Deontay Wilder in a press conference discussing his next bout)
Deontay Wilder announced the second defense of his World Boxing Council heavyweight championship today with a challenge to fans to buy tickets quickly.
“You better go on and get your tickets right now,” the Tuscaloosa native said of his Sept. 26 bout with Frenchman Johann Duhaupas. “Go take a loan out. It’s gonna be an awesome show.”
The doors to the Legacy Arena at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex open at 4 p.m. for the undercard fights. Tickets will range from $25 to $300.
The main event is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be seen nationally on NBC. This will be the first time a heavyweight championship fight has been shown live on network television since Larry Holmes defended his title against Carl Williams in Reno, Nev.
Wilder is defending his title for the second time in his home state after his ninth-round knockout of Eric Molina before 9,000 at a soldout Bartow Arena on the UAB campus.
That fight had an economic impact of more than $1.5 million on the metro area, according to the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Jay Deas, Wilder’s co-manager and trainer, hopes his fighter has the same impact on the Alabama economy that Floyd Mayweather has on Las Vegas. He recalled a taxi driver saying that, “When Floyd fights, everybody makes money.”
“We want that for Deontay,” Deas said. “We want Deontay Wilder to be big business in the state of Alabama.”
Birmingham Mayor William Bell said the successful event at Bartow Arena has drawn rave reviews from around the world.
“It really made history,” he said. “Now we’re back to make history again.”
Jody McCormick of the Alabama Athletic Commission said Wilder has set a new standard and rekindled the state’s love for boxing.
“Spectators in Alabama are hungry for events such as this,” he said, noting that the champ’s first title defense drew more fans than the Las Vegas fight when he won the title in January.
“We outdid Las Vegas,” he said. “Why can’t Alabama become the Combat Sport Capital of the South?”
The Sept. 26 is set on a football Saturday with Alabama and Auburn playing at home. Alabama hosts Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State visits The Plains. The time of each game is to be announced.
Wilder wasn’t worried about that, he said, saying that the boxing card spices up the entertainment calendar.
“That definitely brings something new to the table,” he said. “If you’re going to go to a game, go support. After that, rest up, eat and come and see some great boxing. That’s a perfect night.”
Duhaupas appeared at the press conference via a video. Speaking French, he said fighting Wilder is “the next logical step for me.”
Said Wilder: “Everybody’s coming to fight to get what I have. I love being the ‘world’s most wanted’ in a positive way. I love having that target on my head.”
Wilder is 34-0 with 33 knockouts. Duhaupas, nicknamed “Reptile,” is 32-2 with 20 knockouts but he has not been knocked out.
“That’s my goal, to knock him out, to be the first,” Wilder said. “He may get knocked out after me but I will always be that first.”
