Outspoken American boxer Deontay Wilder will face a hearing, after the World Boxing Council (WBC) said his comments about adding a "body" to his resume were "against the spirit of our sport".
Wilder was warning his next opponent - compatriot Dominic Breazeale - with the duo facing off in a heavyweight title clash in New York on Sunday (NZ time).
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The pair have a heated rivalry, dating back two years, when they got into a scuffle in a hotel, after fighting on the same card.
Wilder claimed that Breazeale made intimidating comments to his family, which sparked the melee.
But WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said the comments were "regrettable" and against the organisation's ethics.
"I have seen Deontay Wilder comments, which are regrettable and completely against the spirit of our sport," Sulaiman said in a tweet.
"I have known Wilder for a long time and he is not the person he portrays in such comments. His metaphors are against the WBC code of ethics and will be addressed in a hearing."
A fine will be the most likely punishment for the 33-year-old.
The 'Bronze Bomber' also channelled his inner Ivan Drago from Rocky IV, saying: "If he dies, he dies."
In the movie, Drago (played by Dolph Lundgren) showed no remorse, after pummelling Apollo Creed to death in a Las Vegas showdown.
"His life is on the line for this fight... and I do mean his life," Wilder told USA Today Sports.
"I'm still trying to get a body on my record.
"This is the only sport where you can kill a man and get paid for it at the same time. It's legal, so why not use my right to do so?
"I didn't go seek him, he sought me, so if [death] comes, it comes. This is a brutal sport, this is not a gentleman's sport.
"I keep saying this is not a gentleman's sport. We don't ask to hit each other in the face, but we does anyway.
"You can ask any doctor around the world and he'll tell you the head isn't supposed to be hit. Anybody can go and in this particular time, we have bad blood against each other."
The bout will be Wilder's first fight since his controversial draw against Tyson Fury last year.
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