You know what they say about athletes: anyone committed to their sport should eat, sleep, and breathe it. They should wake up thinking about it, keep their eyes on the prize as they practice it, and never lose focus as they strive to achieve their goal.
However, there are times where the situation requires a professional to distance themselves from their sporting prowess for a moment - and this was certainly one of them.
Deontay Wilder, the six foot seven World Boxing Council heavyweight champion, got a bit too caught up in the moment last week when he was challenged by a mascot on the ESPN show, Nacion. Apparently, the sportsman didn't quite weigh up the fact that there was a human being in the costume, and decided to sock it straight in the face.
Needless to say, it did not go well.
In a clip that has since been shared across social media, Wilder took on a human-sized nacho who was wearing an oversized sombrero and sporting an impressive moustache.
Just before the incident, the host encourages the boxer to take aim at the giant snack - but doesn't seem to convey to him that there is a real-life, fragile human being in the suit. Then, he begins to count to three, but Wilder isn't listening. He's already winding back his arm and then - BAM - he punches the nacho so hard that one of its eyes pops off.
You can see the incident in the clip below (which, surprisingly, is still up on Wilder's Instagram page):
Later on in the show, Wilder squared up to a rubber dummy, addressing it as if it was his soon-to-be opponent, Tyson Fury.
"I’m gonna beat you, you little gypsy king. I’ma knock you out," he said.
"I can’t wait til December the first. The people is in for a treat. I said I was gonna knock you out. I’ve just got one question. When I knock your body on the canvas, which foot do you want me to step over you with? The right or the left? I’ll let you decide."
This equally bizarre interaction is also on the Bronze Bomber's social media feeds:
Meanwhile, Tyson Fury took to Instagram to assure his fans that he was going to win his match against Wilder.
"I took Deontay Wilder to school today for the fourth time," he told his followers last week. "We've only had three press conferences but already I'm 4-0 up because that was a 10-8 round."
But if Wilder's overconfidence on Nacion is anything to go by, he's not shaken by the the fighting talk.
It was revealed after the show that the person in the mascot costume had broken their jaw as a result of being hit so hard, but Wilder has not commented on the matter.
