Deontay Wilder and Artur Szpilka Nearly Come to Blows Before Brooklyn Fight

Things got a little heated when WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and upcoming opponent Artur Szpilka met ahead of Saturday's title showdown, as they had to be pulled apart to avoid an unscheduled prequel to the main event.

The pair crossed each paths in New York, with tensions running high ahead of Saturday’s fight. As we can see below, courtesy of his official Twitter feed, Wilder sought to stir things up and sparks flew as a result:

Wilder will be the first man to defend a world heavyweight title in Brooklyn, New York in 115 years on Saturday at the Barclays Center. It’s the 36th professional fight of Wilder’s career, having won all of them, and it'll be the third time he’s defending the strap he won against Bermane Stiverne last year.

Here’s a look at some of his career highlights, with Wilder renowned for big punches, having knocked out 34 of his 35 opponents:

Szpilka is a Polish heavyweight who will be coming into this clash with confidence after stringing together four successive wins. His only career loss to date came in 2014 against Bryant Jennings, who challenged former heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko for the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring belts in April 2015.

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For Wilder, it’s a big night. After Tyson Fury dethroned Klitschko in late 2015, the division has opened up massively, with the likes Alexander Povetkin, a mandatory WBC challenger, impressing too. If he can win and win in style, there will likely be huge opportunities for Wilder in 2016.

As we can see here, based on this bitter exchange on social media earlier in January, it seems as though Wilder is definitely keen to have a shot at Fury:

One of the main criticisms of Wilder throughout his career is he’s picked straightforward fights, Klitschko recently suggesting the American should take sterner challenges in an interview with BoxingScene.com (h/t Sky Sports), and this latest outing against Szpilka is unlikely to dispel this theory. However, it seems we’re edging closer to seeing the American tested, with Povetkin and Fury both at the peak of their powers.

For the division, a confident Wilder can only be a positive thing. He is one of the heaviest punchers in the sport and, as is evident by the video, a character who always seems to stir up controversy. Should he beat Szpilka, as is expected, a make-or-break spell looms for this intriguing heavyweight.