The sport of boxing lost its greatest athlete of all-time on Friday night when Muhammad Ali passed away at the age of 74. The man that holds the same WBC Heavyweight Championship belt that once wrapped around Ali's waist is Tuscaloosa native Deontay Wilder.

Like most boxers, Wilder admired Ali as a young man and continued to do so through his career. Shortly after the news broke about the legend's death, Wilder shared this message on Twitter.

The Bronze Bomber, as Wilder is affectionately called, has taken pride in being an American heavyweight champion. Along the way to his current 36-0 record, WIlder faced Bernard Stiverne for his first chance to become the champion. That fight just so happened to fall on the birthday of Ali.

"The best thing about it, (Ali's) like my all-time favorite and I'm fighting on his birthday," Wilder told Ryan Fowler in January of 2015. "So I'm going to have to shout him out. Happy birthday Muhammad Ali. It's his 73rd birthday. And I'm getting ready to fight on his birthday so it's going to be great, man."

This is the interview with The Game where Wilder talks about fighting on Ali's birthday. He also recalls the first time he met the greatest of all-time. The conversation begins around the 15:30 mark.

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