ATLANTIC CITY, N.J | Nicolai Firtha came to Friday's weigh-in wearing motivation on his back. The journeyman heavyweight is well aware of the massive challenge he faces Saturday when he steps into the ring as a 15-1 underdog to Tuscaloosa's Deontay Wilder. But a life without these opportunities is fresh in his mind. A year ago, Firtha (21-10-1, 8 KO) was out of boxing. He was making ends meet with a fire and water remediation company in Akron, Ohio, gutting houses that had just felt the wrath of a disaster. Deontay Wilder at the weigh-in for fight with Nicolai Firtha in Atlantic City, N.J., on Oct. 25."It's dirty, dingy work. It's nasty work," Firtha said. To remind himself of what this chance means, he stepped on stage at the Caesars wearing his weathered, worn work uniform.

Firtha wanted it that way, unbuttoned, no flash, no pomp, to keep his mind focused on the importance of Saturday's bout. "I didn't want anything fancy, I didn't want anything special. I wanted to remind myself that I have a great opportunity here to make life a little bit easier for myself," Firtha said, grabbing at a button in the Caesars ballroom hallway. "I can walk through that door and succeed, or maybe fall back and go back to this work." Wilder (29-0, 29 KO), a bronze medalist in the 2008 Olympics known for his punishing knockouts, didn't stick to the zero-panache plan. Before he flexed his chiseled 224-pound frame — 28½ pounds lighter than Firtha — he stepped to the scale with a spoon and a to-go box full of strawberry shortcake. "Strawberry is my favorite fruit," Wilder said with a smile. "I'm in shape, man, so I've always had the plan of coming into a weigh-in eating something. It was good, too." Firtha was out of boxing for 17 months, returning in July to top Robert Hawkins in a majority decision. Deontay Wilder at the weigh-in for fight with Nicolai Firtha in Atlantic City, N.J., on Oct. 25.The hiatus was filled with the blue-collar work. January days, loading into a truck and gutting those houses in minus-10-degree weather stood out. He ran marathons and still does, finishing his latest one Sept. 30. He has caddied at a golf course and still does. He gave his future plenty of thought. "It gave me time to get my head on straight." Firtha said. "It let me say, ‘Guess what, I have the tools and the ability to not only compete with the best in the world, but beat the best in the world.' " So what kind of performance does he expect from himself when the bell sounds tonight? A fitting one. "It's going to be a very workmanlike performance for me," Firtha said. "Obviously, he's done what he's needed to do in the ring. I've got a few cues to go on. I'm hungry. I'm a starved dog, and I'm ready to execute."