Video footage of heavyweight American boxers Deontay Wilder and Dominic Breazeale appearing to clash has emerged on social media today.

The when and where of the video remain unclear but, filmed by one of several onlookers in what appears to be the lobby of a hotel, the footage shows Wilder, the current WBC Heavyweight title holder, and compatriot Breazeale squaring up.

Initially, the exchange seems to be limited to a war of words, but towards the end of the one-minute long clip, the scenes turn uglier. However, neither fighter is able to land a significant blow before they are broken up by their entourages.

This emerges as the talk of Wilder and Breazeale facing off in the ring gathers apace. The WBC has already sanctioned a rematch with Tyson Fury following their enthralling draw last year but, should ‘The Bronze Bomber’ come through that unscathed, Breazeale will be his mandatory challenger for the WBC belt should he come through his own obligatory fight with Brit Dillian Whyte.

Breazeale defeated Carlos Negro on 23rd December last year to put his name at the top of the list, and was very bullish about his challenges in the post-bout interview.

“I'm next in line for Deontay Wilder and I'm coming for him," exclaimed Breazeale.

"I've been waiting for him and I did what I had to do tonight. I'm ready for him now."

"I know Wilder is here in the crowd. He came to watch. He knows I'm next. He better be holding on to that belt really tightly, because I'm coming. 'Trouble' is already here."

See the Wilder-Breazeale skirmish below:

Wilder, however, does not believe that the challenger has enough in his skill set to cause him any problems.

“I really don’t think nothing of Dominic Breazeale,” said Wilder during a recent interview with Boxing Scene. “I don’t even rate him. He’s an average fighter at best. I give him one-to-three rounds with me, but he don’t last long."

With Fury vs Wilder already to look forward to, and Whyte and Anthony Joshua also in action, 2019 promises to be an exhilarating year for boxing’s heavyweight division.