The current World Heavyweight boxing title may be fractured at the moment, but American Deontay Wilder owns a piece of it. He will defend that crown in January, when he faces off against Polish challenger Artur Szpilka.

“I wish him luck. He’s going to need it,” Wilder said of Szpilka. “I look forward to winning over the Polish fans after I beat him. I know he’s a southpaw and he tends to give up when things get tough in the ring. He doesn’t have heart when it gets tough.”

26-year-old Szpilka is 20-1 with 15 knockouts.

“It feels amazing to get the opportunity to fight Deontay for his heavyweight world title,” he said. “I can’t wait to be the first ever Polish heavyweight to win a world title. I’ve dreamed about this many times and now my time has come. I’ll be ready to put on a show for my fans and take his belt from him.”

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The match will take place on January 16 in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. It will be the first heavyweight title bout in the borough since 1900. The location will also hold significance for both fighters. The fight will be Wilder’s New York debut and Brooklyn is home to a massive Polish population that will surely be behind Szpilka.

Photo: Johann Duhaupas and Deontay Wilder fight at Legacy Arena at the BJCC on September 26, 2015 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by David A. Smith/Getty Images)

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Joe Kozlowski

Article by Joe Kozlowski

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