Wilder likened to Muhammad Ali as he warns ‘coward’ Fury he will ‘disfigure’ fighter ‘so his mother wouldn’t even know who he was’

Deontay Wilder has been called "the closest thing to Muhammad Ali" by his trainer ahead of his rematch with Tyson Fury in July, when the ex-champ has bizarrely bragged he will "disfigure" the Brit who annihilated him last year.

In a string of threats that seem particularly preposterous given how emphatically the 'Bronze Bomber' was beaten by Fury in the seventh round of their last meeting, Wilder has called himself the "hardest puncher in heavyweight history" and accused the only man to have beaten him of dodging him while planning to put the title he won with ease from the Alabaman on the line against Anthony Joshua.

Fury looked set to meet domestic foe Joshua in August in Saudi Arabia until an arbitration court ruled that 'The Gypsy King' and Wilder must run it back for a third time – having drawn their first fight in December 2018 – for the WBC and Ring Magazine straps. 

Now penciled in for July 24, with a possible venue of the 70,000-holding Allegiant Stadium home of the Las Vegas Raiders, the trash-talking for the pay-per-view spectacle has begun.

"My mentality is, you’ve been contemplating about hurting a person so bad, to the point where you want to disfigure him so his mother wouldn’t even know who he was," Wilder told 78SPORTSTV,  revealing the harm he believes he can inflict on the unbeaten Fury.

"You want to decapitate him in every way, like premeditated stuff. Now that we have an ETA and location of where we’re about to go, it makes training much more intensified. Now it means something. It’s for certain now.

"There’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. You've got to go through me. I’m the hardest puncher in heavyweight history and I’m going to continue to do that."

"I’m ready to get this title back. We were contractually obligated to have a fight."

Fury signing the contract live on ESPN on the same night Josh Taylor became undisputed light welterweight champion against Jose Ramirez, Wilder highlighted that there is now no turning back for his dance partner.

"He gave his word. When you do all that – and we have the proof – you've got to abide by that. You got to handle the business, and you can’t close the chapter without going through Deontay Wilder."

He also feels no guilt whatsoever for derailing the Fury-Joshua bout, which was one of the biggest ever to be made in the sport.

"Of course, I look at it as a coward way of trying to avoid me. For what reason? We know the reason and he knows the reason," he said of the all-British clash.

Wilder's manager, Shelly Finkel, has warned Fury's camp not to underestimate his charge.

"He’s training harder for this fight," Finkel told Sky Sports. "He’s been training since August, July, physically. Now he’s been training tactically.

"It’s eight weeks... there is no reason to talk because, no matter what anyone says, most people aren’t going to believe it unless he proves it in the ring."

Wilder is now under the tutelage of Malik Scott, and his new trainer has stated that he has no doubts his fighter is going to be a two-time heavyweight champion of the world.

Scott's words should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt considering his bold claim that Wilder is comparable to the late, iconic Muhammad Ali – arguably the greatest boxer in history.

"He was very magical in the ring, but it was the things he beat outside the ring that truly got my attention," said Scott, calling Ali "one of my greatest fighters of all time".

"Deontay Wilder is the closest thing to that in this time."

On the same weekend he penned the deal for their showdown, Fury branded 'The Bronze Bomber' "a b*tch, p*ssy, shi*thouse, an excuse maker" who is about to get "severely damaged".

"I hate to think what he’s going to get this time. He tells people I cracked his skull last time.

"I’m going to crack it wide open and beware: I’m going to have two knuckle-dusters in my gloves this time, you p*ssy."