Deontay Wilder is determined to impress when he makes the second defence of his WBC world heavyweight title against Johann Duhaupas this weekend.

The 29-year-old feared puncher (34-0-KO33) puts his belt on the line against the Frenchman (32-2-KO20) in Alabama and having received criticism for June's ninth-round stoppage of Eric Molina, is keen to put on a show in front of his home fans.

A lot of observers are giving the Duhaupas little to no chance in getting an upset victory, but Wilder is not one of them. He says the Frenchman is a dangerous opponent who deserves respect.

The fight will be televised on NBC as part of their Premier Boxing Champions series.

He said: "I'm just ready to fight. Anybody can be knocked out. It just takes the right amount of time and patience. You have to set up for it. Some guys can take punches better than others, but I don't think he's faced any guy with the charisma that I bring to the ring.

"I don't look at video or any of that stuff. I like to adjust when I get into the ring. It gets me involved mentally and I can show off my IQ in the ring. I can't wait for that bell to ring.

"When you talk about the heavyweight division, all of the guys and big and strong. You have to respect each fighter. At the end of the day, the records don't matter. It's about who's the toughest, who's the smartest and whose the most motivated in the ring.

"For all of my fights I've been gaining more experience. I knew I could go rounds and take punches even though people didn't think I could. With this fight, it's a new style and a new opponent, so I might have to bring out something I haven't had to in my career.

"I'd like to thank Duhaupas for accepting the challenge. If anyone is looking past him, they're a fool. He's a tall guy, with a good record who's never been knocked out. I have friends all over the world who have told me not to look past him."

In addition to bringing big-time heavyweight boxing back to Alabama fans, Wilder and manager Al Haymon are bringing it back to US network television.

NBC will air the bout, part of Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions series, marking the first time a heavyweight title fight has been broadcast by a major US network since the 1985 fight between Larry Holmes and Carl "The Truth" Williams.

Wilder is looking forward to a chance to build his brand with a more general audience than might have seen the fight on cable or pay-per-view.

"I'm always looking to have my face on new networks and NBC is where a lot of the greats that came before me started," he said. "I can't wait for Saturday night."