Since Deontay Wilder and Dominic Breazeale were involved in a nasty altercation last year, they’ve been on a collision course.

Breazeale claimed that Wilder and a “mob of about 20 people” attacked him and his family after the heavyweights both scored knockout victories on a Fox-televised card in April 2017 in Birmingham, Alabama.

While Wilder chased a heavyweight title unification fight with Anthony Joshua, Breazeale waited in the shadows for his own shot at settling the score. And when talks for Joshua-Wilder fell apart, it was widely expected Brezeale would step in for the lower-profile grudge match this fall.

Then Tyson Fury entered the picture, and negotiations continue toward a potential Showtime pay-per-view fight between the lineal champion and Wilder in November. Wilder will be ringside in Belfast on Saturday for Fury’s tune-up bout against Francesco Pianeta, and it seems a mere formality that he’ll meet the Brit this fall. But Breazeale remains on Wilder’s mind.

“Fu– Breazeale, that’s how I feel about Breazeale. I say fu– Breazeale,” Wilder, said during an interview with The Ring last month. “Breazeale gonna get what he’s got coming, and people know when I speak (I follow through).

“He needs to be reserving his time with his family — with his kids — because when he get in the ring with me, I’m going to cripple something; I’ll make sure of that. So Breazeale, spend as much time with your family as possible, brother. So stop talking my name. And when I get you, I’m going to get you.”

The WBC titleholder was criticized last year for threatening to badly injure Bermane Stiverne, but he insists that his WWE-style promos are simply part of his “Bronze Bomber” persona and not a representation of how truly how he feels.

Just when Wilder will get his hands on Breazeale is another matter. He was incredibly frustrated when the super fight with Joshua failed to come to fruition, but a matchup with Fury would present another high-stakes bout.

A title defense against Breazeale is appealing only because of all the bad blood that surrounds them. Wilder would be a major favorite to separate The Ring’s No. 7 heavyweight from his senses in quick fashion, just like he did against Gerald Washington the night of his incident with Breazeale (who knocked out Izu Ugonoh on that show).

Wilder is hopeful he’ll land the Fury fight, and with the Alabaman set to be ringside to watch the Gypsy King on Saturday, a deal can’t be far off.

But Wilder has been here before, and if he doesn’t end up fighting Fury, he’ll surely be eager to exact revenge on Breazeale in the meantime.

Mike Coppinger is the Senior Writer for RingTV.com. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger