It takes humility to be great especially in defeat. Some may have a hard time accepting defeat and would end up excuses.

Deontay Wilder's corner threw the towel in Round 7. To save him from more damaging punishment from Tyson Fury. A tough judgment call by his corner.

Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) lost the rematch via technical knockout against Fury on Saturday at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas. It was his first career loss, which he's not taking graciously.

Wilder initially questioned the decision of co-trainer Mark Breland. And then later on blamed entrance costume for his loss to Fury. Wilder was upset with Breland. And hinted Breland may no longer part of the team anymore.

I am upset with Mark for the simple fact that we’ve talked about this many times and it’s not emotional. It is not an emotional thing, it’s a principal thing. We’ve talked about this situation many, many years before this even happened. I said as a warrior, as a champion, as a leader, as a ruler, I want to go out on my shield. If I’m talking about going in and killing a man, I respect the same way. I abide by the same principal of receiving," Wilder said in a phone interview with Yahoo Sport's Kevin Iole.

Then Wilder blamed the costume which is too heavy for him.

“He didn’t hurt me at all, but the simple fact is ... that my uniform was way too heavy for me,” Wilder said. “I didn’t have no legs from the beginning of the fight.

Well, I think all these excuses will just, you know, emotionally heavy for Wilder to do the explaining about this and that.

I mean, accepting defeat would open more discussions about his future moving forward.

Well, it is damn easy for you and me, you know, to talk about accepting defeat because we're not the one in that ring and losing that "O" in the record.

But what I'm saying is instead of throwing excuses here and there, why not talk about how greater or greatest your opponent is because that will make you great.

So what's next for Wilder? I'd love to see him fight Andy Ruiz Jr as the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua.

The main event was the winners of the rematch against the undercard. The undercard was the losers of the rematch against the main event.

I'm not saying the above will happen soon as Wilder seemed inclined to exercise the rematch clause.

After all the trash talk you could imagine during the build-up of the fight, it ended up with huge respect. That's boxing.

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder fought to a draw on Saturday night at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles. It was an entertaining action fight that produced breathtaking knockdown. A match-up of two different interesting styles.

Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs) scored two crucial knockdowns that saved him from a clear decision loss. Wilder knocked Fury down in Round 9 and Round 12.  Judge Alejandro Rochin scored 115-111 for Wilder. Robert Tapper saw it 114-112 in favor of Fury, while Phil Edwards scored 113-113, a draw.

It was a sweeping first three rounds for Fury, (27-0-1, 19 KOs) as he landed clear combinations, while Wilder is looking for a home run shot. Fury was able to duck, feint and roll those heavily loaded shots from Wilder. He was quick and not committing so much with his punches to avoid counters.

Wilder, most likely took Round 4 as he connected clear right hands He lanced a hard shot that blooded Fury's nose in the same round. But the succeeding four rounds could be all Fury as he landed double jabs and short hooks to the head.

In Round 9, Wilder landed a hard right knocking down Fury. The knockdown was really a confidence booster for Wilder as he's obviously behind the scorecards. But that was certainly not enough.

In the 12th Round, Wilder dropped Fury with a huge right hand and followed it up with a left while Fury was on his way down. From the looks of it, it was certainly over. He fell heavily on the floor, but Fury stood up like the "Undertaker" and continue to wrestle.

In the end, all three judges had different conclusions and resulted in a split draw.

"I think with the two knockdowns, I definitely won the fight," Wilder said. "We poured our hearts out tonight. We're both warriors, but with those two drops, I think I won the fight."

Fury also felt he won the fight.

"We're on away soil. I got knocked down twice, but I still believe I won that fight," Fury said. "I'm being a total professional here. I went to Germany to fight Klitschko, and I went to America to fight Deontay Wilder. God bless America. The 'Gypsy King' has returned.

"That man is a fearsome puncher, and I was able to avoid that. The world knows I won the fight."

Deontay Wilder (37-0, 36 KOs) remained undefeated stopping Chris Arreola (36-5-1, 31 KOs) on Saturday at the Legacy Arena, Birmingham, in Alabama.

Wilder dropped Arreola in the 4th round with series of unanswered combinations. Prior to that, Wilder had a good time entertaining the crowd by circling his hip while Arreola punching the side of his body. Wilder then created a space between them and landed a crisp uppercut.

With the win, Wilder called out the Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua for a unification bout.

"Of course I want the Furys, of course I want the Joshuas, but the question is, do they want me? My goal is to unify the division. I'm one of the baddest, hardest-hitting heavyweights in the business, so whoever's got those belts, that's who I want," said Wilder.

Since the match is free to watch even to non-Showtime subscribers, the heavyweight title match between undefeated American heavyweight Deontay Wilder vs. Artur Szpilka can be watched online here at TBD, through Showtime live streaming YouTube channel embedded above.

Before their heavyweight match on Saturday night, Wilder and Szpilka met at the weigh-in on Friday afternoon. You can watch the highlight of the weigh-in here: http://theboxingdiary.com/2016/01/watch-deontay-wilder-vs-artur-szpilka-weigh-in-recap.html and see the official weight results here: http://theboxingdiary.com/2016/01/official-weights-deontay-wilder-228%C2%BE-artur-szpilka-239.html

Undefeated American heavyweight boxer Deontay Wilder and Poland's Artur Szpilka weighed in results this afternoon for Saturday night's Showtime Championship Boxing main event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Wilder (35-0, 34 KO) will make the third defense of his heavyweight title against Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KO).

Also in action for another heavyweight title bout,  Vyacheslav Glazkov (21-0-1, 13 KO) takes on Charles Martin (22-0-1, 20 KO).

Below were the official weights:

• Deontay Wilder, 228¾ vs. Artur Szpilka, 239


• Vyacheslav Glazkov, 218 vs. Charles Martin, 249

Watch the above highlights of the recent weigh-in of Showtime's boxing card this Saturday night, featuring Deontay Wilder and Artur Szpilka. Video credit Showtime Sports

American heavyweight titlist Deontay Wilder (35-0, 34 KO) and Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KO) hit the scales earlier today for their heavyweight boxing match at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York.

The undefeated American official weight during the weigh-in 228¾ pounds, while Poland's Szpilka weighed in several pounds heavier than Wilder at 239 pounds.

On Saturday night, two exciting heavyweight contenders squared off in New York to put them in line for a heavyweight title showdown. Those contenders were Bryant Jennings (19-2) and Luis "King Kong" Ortiz (24-0). The fight was toe to toe action you rarely see between heavyweights. It was clearly the antithesis of Klitschko vs Fury back in November.

Jennings has a boxer’s style, usually fighting on the outside, circling left to right, with excellent lateral movement. But trainer John David Jackson decided to change things up and have Jennings fight on the inside of the much bigger Ortiz. Jennings banged Ortiz's head and body with vicious hooks and uppercuts. It was a risk Jennings was willing to take so he would not get caught at the end of a powerful blow from the Cuban puncher. It was a risk that did not pan out well for Jennings. Jennings was knocked down with a brutal uppercut and a straight left that made the referee step in and call the fight.

The fight shook the heavyweight division and showed “King Kong” is a force to be reckoned with. But my attention was drawn before the fight even started. I was touched by Ortiz’s inspiration. His inspiration is his four year old little girl who was born with a medical condition that included necrosis in one of her fingers. Ortiz said that he was willing to have one of his fingers amputated so when his daughter was old enough to see his father’s hand, he would tell her she was born just like her Daddy. I immediately thought of a couple of other boxers who were inspired to do great things in boxing because of the love and inspiration they received from their ailing daughters. Those boxers are two time Cruiserweight Champion Steve “USS” Cunningham and Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder.

It is truly amazing how “Daddy’s little girl” can be such an inspiration to the most lethal fighters to ever step in the ring. Cunningham’s daughter was born with a rare heart defect known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. It is a condition in which the left side of the heart isn’t fully developed. Jesse Dougherty quoted Cunningham referencing his daughter’s battle, "If she can do that, I think I can do anything in boxing, in life, I always take that into the ring.”

Wilder’s daughter was born with the congenital disorder spina bifida. X-rays revealed a hole in the spine shortly after her birth as well as the condition which usually confines a person to a wheelchair for life. Wilder was quoted by Lem Satterfield saying, "“She inspires me and we inspire each other each and every day, man. She inspires me still now,” said Wilder, “because when she was a year old, I promised her that Daddy would become a world champion.” Wilder fulfilled that dream and continues to take on any challengers.

It was interesting seeing the behemoth Ortiz getting very emotional talking about bringing his children to the United States and giving them a better life. Ortiz said, “It inspires me even more to obtain my dream, obtain my dream which is to be World Champion.”

Only children can bring out that kind of emotion out of a Daddy. I know this feeling all too well. Seeing your beautiful daughter suffering, you feel helpless. The only thing you can do is pray. It drives you to be a better man. A better person. A better father. A person who would sacrifice himself any day of the week for his family. It is an experience that drives you closer to God. Putting yourself whole heartedly before someone else is something you would have never dreamed of doing before seeing that little girl receiving round the clock care from nurses and doctors. But turning that stressful and horrible experience into something positive, such as earning a world title, is something truly special. It is something that you wouldn’t expect a tiny little girl to motivate you to accomplish. But these little girls did just that for Cunningham and Wilder. Now let’s see if it could come to fruition for Ortiz.

This is for you Annalise. Daddy loves you...

Deontay Wilder (34-0, 33 KO's) scores four knock downs en route to a stoppage win over a very game Eric Molina (23-3, 17 KO's) in Birmingham, Alabama. He successfully defended his heavyweight title he took from Bermane Stiverne early this year also via knockout.

Wilder scored knockdowns once in Rounds 4 and twice in Round 5 and ultimately stopped Molina in Round 9. The official time of the stoppage 1:03 in Round 9.

Wilder caught Molina towards the ropes with a vicious left hook, in the final seconds of the round that sent Molina crashing to the canvas. He missed a big right hand while Molina was on his way down to the canvas. If that shot landed, the fight could have been stopped from there.

Molina survived the 4th round obviously hurt. In the succeeding round, Molina landed some significant shots that backed Wilder momentarily. But Wilder floored him again twice in the fifth stanza.

Molina got up gallantly from those two knockdowns and managed to hang a little longer tiring the champion a little bit. But in Round 9 referee Jack Riess had seen enough after Wilder put down Molina again with a right hand. Riess did not manage to count and stopped the contest to save Molina from further beating.

Wilder could be facing mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin in his next fight.

[caption id="attachment_5040" align="alignnone" width="701"] Photo: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME[/caption]

The long wait is over.

Deontay Wilder ended the American heavyweight title drought. He became the first American to hold a heavyweight title since 2007. He dominated the defending champion Bermane Stiverne over the course of 12 rounds at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada. The scores were 118-109, 119-108, and 120-107 all for Wilder for the unanimous decision victory.

But it is still yet to be seen if the heavyweight division will get back its long lost grandeur.

The fight did not ended the way most boxing experts predicted. Consensus predictions suggest that either man will win via knockout. Both men have the power to knock its other out anytime of any round. But the knockout didn’t come. Wilder’s patience, commitment to fight from outside and Stiverne’s toughness, and somewhat limited performance tonight, made us heard the final bell.

Wilder (33-0, 32 KO’s) started the fight establishing his long stiff jabs. And his trademark one-two combination. In return, Stiverne (24-2-1, 21 KO’s) was a willing recipient to those jabs and one-two’s. He’s head movement was almost absent the entire fight. A crucial basic movement he almost abandoned. He showed extreme toughness, though, to withstand all those punishment. He hope to execute his catch-and-counter trademark move. But it appears to be a catch-and-catch with few counters that connects.

"It wasn't my night. I felt 100 percent before the fight but once I got in the ring I couldn't cut the ring, I couldn't move my head like I usually do. What can I say? Congrats to him", said Stiverne.

In the second frame, Wilder became more confident. His lead left jab and occasional one-two’s connects with precision. He opened up powerful lefts and rights that buckled Stiverne late in the round. Stiverne held to hang on. Both men fell down. The referee followed them to the floor, who tried to separate them as the bell sounded.

Stiverne got Round 4 following his significant body shots.

In the fifth round, Wilder appeared somewhat tired. It is his first time to come past Round 4. But his jabs and one-two’s still found its home on Stiverne’s head and body. He continued to work behind the jab. Stiverne tried to bait Wilder while leaning to the ropes, but Wilder wisely fired shots from outside and took a step back. Wilder shoot and shoot, while making Stiverne catch and catch.

In the seventh, Wilder once again wobbled Stiverne with his signature one-two and followed through with couple of power lefts and rights. But Stiverne was able to withstand the onslaught. He doubled it up while his back on the ropes and fired his own counters. It was a clear round for Wilder.

The remainder of the fight remained in this pattern; Wilder working behind the jab followed by straight right; Stiverne would cover up miss wildly with the counter hook but lands significant body shots. There’s really no period throughout the fight that either man is in real trouble getting knockout.

In the end, Wilder finally took part of heavyweight title back to America, wherein all other titles held by the Klitschko brothers.

"I'm just excited and happy to bring this belt back to America," Wilder said. "It's going to mean a lot. I think I answered a lot of questions tonight. We knew we could go 12 rounds. We knew we could take a punch. We knew we could do it."

BERMANE STIVERNE, WBC Heavyweight Champion

"It's going to be a real fight, a fight like you've never seen before. I'm no cab driver, I'm no one-hit wonder, this is the real deal. This belt here isn't going anywhere. This green belt is staying right here in this green hotel.

"Everyone who has supported me, you won't be disappointed. I've seen plenty of guys like Wilder, even guys who talk more than him.

"I don't worry about how I go in the ring, I worry about how I get out of the ring.

"There's something about Deontay ....I'm gonna keep his record clean, because he isn't getting past four rounds.

"This is a real fight and this belt is staying right here in my home town. You're going to get hurt, the worst thing you did was have me take you seriously, and I'm taking you seriously.

"This is going to be a terrific fight. After this fight you will never ever hear about Deontay Wilder."

DEONTAY WILDER, Unbeaten No. 1 WBC Mandatory Contender

"You are all in for a treat. I've never been so ready to whoop a man. There's been a lot of talk, a lot of stuff on social media. But through all that, it's been real. I don't play games. It doesn't get any realer than this. We risk our lives every time in that ring.

"If you only knew the whooping I'm going to put on this boy, you all want the first American champ, but this is for me. I am not scared to walk with my head held high because I am ready for any test.

"This is the most exciting heavyweight bout in years. This is the awakening of the heavyweight division and there's nowhere else to have it than at MGM Grand.

"This is the number one spot to have boxing and I've just been waiting for this for so long. The training, the heartache, the pain and the suffering has been a long journey.

"Many people wrote me off early in my career. People say I'm not supposed to be here. People still write me off and I thank them for that. Because when they write me off I still go to another level and push forward.

"People don't know what it took me to get here. Nothing has been given to me and I appreciate every little thing I have. This made me who I am in life.

"I knew it was going to take hard work to get that belt and I'm ready for that test. This is my time; I don't think my opponent understands purpose because this is my time.

"When I do the unexpected, I don't want you all to degrade this man, Stiverne. I don't want anyone to make excuses for my victory. Stick by your word. Let this be a test for me and watch me pass my test. I guarantee I will do it.

"I know everyone has been speaking for you, Bermane, but they can't fight for you. They can only make it worse for you. They have made it worse for you. You don't understand what type of man you're about to get in the ring with.

"You've only been champion for a short period of time but you walk around like it's been a long time. You're only a tourist to that belt.''

LEO SANTA CRUZ, WBC Super Bantamweight World Champion

"I'm 100 percent ready. I've been training for this fight like all of my fights. I've been training really hard.

"It's not going to be an easy fight, he's a tough fighter. A lot of guys have tried to take the belt away from me and none of them have. I know he's hungry for the title but I'm not going to let that happen.

"I want my opponent to come ready and leave it all in the ring. I want to steal the show and be the fight of the night.''

JESUS RUIZ, Super Bantamweight Contender

"I want to thank everybody who helped me get this opportunity and I promise not to let you down.

"There's a lot of naysayers out there and a lot of people who don't know anything about me. Come Saturday I'll have to show the world who I am. I'm not here to collect a paycheck or take a dive, I'm here to win a world title. I'm going to give everything I have on Saturday to bring that title back to Mexico.

"I'm expecting Leo Santa Cruz to come here in great shape because this is going to be a great fight. I'm going to lay it all out on the line and I promise to bring that title back to Mexico.''

AMIR IMAM, Undefeated Super Lightweight Contender

"I'm ready to put on a show for you all. I want to thank my whole team. I don't think you know what you got yourself into, Fidel. You're going to be the one laying on the mat come Saturday night. You're scared and I can see it in your face.''

FIDEL MALDONADO, JR., Super Lightweight Contender

"I know I'm not underestimating this fight but come Saturday we'll see how it is when he's out on the floor.''

DON KING, Hall Of Fame Promoter

"The fact of the matter is, the heavyweight title has not been the world championship. It's been the German championship.

"Now, the heavyweight title is back here with Bermane Stiverne and it's great to be able to present it in the world's capital of boxing, Las Vegas. To be at the great MGM Grand is a delight.

"Deontay is a tremendous fighter with a perfect record of 32 fights and 32 knockouts. Bermane has 21 knockouts so it's going to be a heck of a fight.

"We want the fans to know that we are bringing boxing back to the people. That's what really counts. The enthusiasm and passion of a promotion leads to people asking 'when is the next one?' That's what we're aiming to do here.

"This is going to be a great fight so don't blink. Don't go up and get any water or anything because this fight is going to be super sensational.''

BERNARD HOPKINS, Future Hall Of Famer and Golden Boy Promotions Partner

"I'm proud that Don King has been a part of my history. What I constantly hear is, 'is boxing in a good position?' I feel like more businesspeople coming to boxing and making the best fights is great. Don King has laid the foundation for that. If we all think one way, we have to think about what is best for boxing.

"We know that the drought in the heavyweight division has gone on long enough and I believe that this Saturday, whoever wins this is going to be talked about. I don't see this going 12 rounds. This is good for boxing.

"I'm here in Las Vegas, on my 50th birthday, I get to be here sharing it with Don King and all of you in this sport that I passionately love so much. This is about a sport that gave me a second chance in life. I put the challenge out to everyone in the sport, let's do what is right for the people who buy our sport.

"I'm proud to sacrifice this time that I could be with my family to be here for this fight and be here for this sport that has done so much for me.''

ROBERT GASPARRI, COO of Golden Boy Promotions

"Golden Boy Promotions is thrilled to be promoting this great card alongside legendary boxing promoter Don King. On behalf of Oscar De La Hoya and everyone at Golden Boy Promotions, I would like to thank the MGM Grand, Corona, Mexico Tourism and all the fighters that are working extremely hard to make this a successful event.

"Golden Boy wants to make the best matches and work with all the promoters, andSaturday night is no exception. This is a heavyweight title fight in America with the potential of having the first American heavyweight champion in a decade."

RICHARD STURM, President and COO MGM Resorts Entertainment and Sports

"The 2015 Las Vegas boxing calendar kicks off Saturday night with the most anticipated heavyweight fight in the United States in a decade. We are confident that the sports fans watching will enjoy this fight card.''

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, Executive General Manager and Vice President, SHOWTIME Sports

"I can't think of a better fight to kick off this year than Stiverne vs. Wilder.  It's the most significant heavyweight fight in the U.S. in at least a decade. It's the biggest heavyweight title fight here at the MGM Grand since Tyson-Holyfield II in 1997.

"When we talk about a Return to Glory, there's no more history than here at the MGM and in the heavyweight division.

"We're very proud to have this fight on SHOWTIME and we're very proud to be in business with these two young men. They're both intelligent and articulate people who are great representatives for our sport. We're proud to have these men on SHOWTIME and we're proud to call them SHOWTIME fighters.

"This is a high quality card of boxing and a high quality card of young men, top to bottom."

JAY DEAS, Wilder's Trainer and Manager

"This is going to be a tremendous fight. Not a lot of people think about Alabama and boxing, but if you know boxing you know that Joe Louis was born in Alabama, Evander Holyfield was born in Alabama, Ernie Shavers was born in Alabama. Those guys left Alabama to get their careers going, but Deontay stayed and he's looking to bring Alabama to the party come Saturday night.

"We know Stiverne is a great champion, we know he's at his peak and we know that he's at his best and that's how it ought to be. It's a great fight between two great heavyweights.''

STACY MCKINLEY, Imam's Trainer

"Amir Imam is a young version of Bernard Hopkins. You have fighters out there throwing punchers like rock em' sock em' robots. I took a look at this kid Imam and I knew I had to go drop everything and train him.

"Imam trains every day, all he does is train. Even when he's walking through the mall he's shadow boxing. He wants to be one of the greatest that's ever lived.

"This is a young man who has the skills of Ray Robinson, the defense of Joe Gans. He also has the skills of Harry Armstrong. You put that together and there's nothing left, that's how he became the 'Young Master.'

"You're looking at the future of boxing, he's going to be the future face of boxing. Boxing needs a superstar. Imam can fight any style and that's why he's The Master.''

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME

On Saturday night at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez, Bayamon, Puerto Rico, the 25 year old Danny Garcia will defend his WBO and WBC light welterweight title against Mauricio Herrera. The fight will be Showtime's triple header main event.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="345"] Photo Credit: Showtime[/caption]

Danny Garcia vs. Mauricio Herrera - 12 Rounds,  Junior welterweights

Let me put it like this: plain and simple Herrera (20-3, 7 KO's) is the sacrificial lamb for Danny Garcia. Herrera is there for Garcia to butcher -- that is at least the plan.

This is Garcia's "stay-busy" fight and unlocking the Puerto Rican market. This fight's outcome is anticipated -- Garcia has to win.

Although the outcome of this fight is already anticipated, but let me remind you fight fans that boxing -- is boxing -- you'll never know what will happen in a blink of an eye.

Game changing blows is just a matter of landing at the right spot at the right time. This fight could not be boxing fans "must-see" fight but wait... Herrera might be the perfect spoiler.

Danny Garcia (27-0, 16 KO's) is one of the fast rising star in the business.

At this point in his career, there were already talks that Garcia could be a one of potential opponent of Floyd Mayweather Jr. along with another Garcia. Mikey Garcia. But Danny is more feasible at the time being because he's only a division below Mayweather. Unlike Mikey whose last fight is still at super featherweight. And it's likely that this is Danny Garcia's last fight at 140 division. He will invade the welterweight division, home of boxing's elite cash-cows.

Mayweather has four remaining fights under his Showtime 6-fight mega deal contract. Mayweather's third fight is engaged already against Marcos Maidana on May 3. So the remaining three fights would be Garcia's chance.

With the above said, I'm not taking anything away from Herrera as boxer and as a fighter. But my prediction is that Garcia will knockout Herrera in the sixth round.

Daniel Ponce De Leon vs. Juan Manuel Lopez, 10 Rounds Featherweights rematch

Looks like Daniel Ponce De Leon (45-5, 35 KO's) would like to even the score against Juan Manuel Lopez in this fight. In the first bout Lopez (33-3, 30 KO's) knockout De Leon in the very first round.

Both men were highly regarded knockout artist in 2008 who has a combine knockout ratio of 80%.

I think on the first fight De Leon was just caught up early on and doesn't recovered. He was not able to check Lopez's untested chin yet at that time that Salido did exposed.

So I think the rematch could be a different story. I think De Leon learned his lesson in the first match. And he will try to be cautious early on. He will then focus on Lopez vulnerable chin. I think he'll get his revenge in the seventh round.

Deontay Wilder vs Malik Scott, 10 Rounds, Heavyweights

This will be Deontay Wilder's (30-0, 30 KO's) true test so far in his career. Will Malik Scott stains Wilder's perfect record?Is Wilder the heavyweight that the Americans waiting for? I'll guess yes, at least against Malik Scott. Wilder KO 5 Malik Scott.