Bermane Stiverne in action this past May vs. Chris Arreola (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

By Chris Robinson

WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1, 21 KOs) seem as focused and calm as ever heading into his big showdown with top-ranked contender Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs).

The Stiverne-Wilder matchup takes place on Showtime Championship Boxing from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on Jan. 17.

And while it has been the power-punching 2008 Olympian Wilder who has gotten  much buzz due to his ongoing knockout streak and level of confidence heading into the match, Stiverne seems far from shaken.

“No, it doesn’t bother me,” Stiverne said of his opponent’s talk. “I’m focused on beating him. I’m not going to just knock him out, I’m going to hurt that kid.”

“His job, I guess, is to make himself big by talking,” Stiverne added. “I feel like I’m fighting Muhammad Ali. He’s a great promoter, better than his or my promoter. There’s a lot of hype about him and that’s great for our fight because it’ll come down to everybody knowing who beat him after the fight.”

It’s been natural for each man to question the other’s credentials heading into such a high-stakes showdown and Stiverne seems to be relishing this moment.

“I don’t say anything about who he’s fought or him not going past four rounds,” Stiverne explained. “Those questions should be directed to him. I really don’t care. I’m going to chop him down and, if those things are factors, it’ll show in our fight. I’m just doing my job. I’ve been down and came back to knockout my opponent. I’ve also won 12 rounds fights. I know I still have power in later rounds.”

Chris Robinson can be reached at CRobinson@hustleboss.com