As I have mentioned before, the jury is still out there on whether WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is a formidable champion for American boxing fans to get behind. I am not going to lie, I am pulling for him to be that guy who can add some mystique and romance back into the heavyweight division like fighters such as Evander Holyfield did in the past. Wilder, now 36-0 (35 KO’s), has the background story, the look, the charisma, and the punching power that can all lend to this happening.
Unfortunately for Wilder, despite a successful defense of his WBC belt last night with a 9th round KO of Arthur Szpilka at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, many boxing fans and media still feel he is a question mark and remain skeptical of Wilder. There are a a few different reasons for this, all of which could be nullified with a big win over a legitimate known heavyweight such as Klitschko or Tyson Fury. To his credit, he continues to win fights he should; however, outside of Bermane Stiverne, the wins (with the help of Al Haymon!), continue to be against push over fighters in which Wilder has shown flaws and vulnerability. It’s true, everyone tries to bring their best against a champion, but in many of these fights including last night against Szpilka, Wilder struggles early on and allows himself to get hit with looping shots and punches that land squarely, which with a better fighter would likely end his perfect record.
As in previous fights,Wilder looked very sloppy last night, even in the 9th round before ultimately knocking out Szpilka with a brutal right hand that forced him to be taken to the hospital in a stationary brace and a stretcher. Wilder’s power is impressive and although past greats like Holyfield, Lewis, and Tyson had nights where they looked less than sharp, they did not consistently fight scrubs as Wilder has so far. Wilder consistently has bad footwork and does not always utilize his size and reach advantage like a Lennox Lewis. To be that heavyweight we are all looking for, Wilder needs to improve technically and clean this up before facing a Klitschko, a Fury, or even Alexander Povetkin. Some of this also lends to the fact that Wilder started boxing late in his life and does not have the amateur background most great fighters and the aforementioned heavyweight fighters have had. That said, it is impressive where he has come, and I will continue to root for him.
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espite the knocks and criticism on the “Bronze Bomber” (former U.S. Olympian medalist), he is still undefeated and he has successfully promoted himself to the big stage more successfully than any American Heavyweight fighter has in two decades. If that fight was anything last night, it was another step toward Wilder possibly becoming the undisputed lineal heavyweight champion in 2016 and breathing life into the heavyweight division. His flaws aside, the fight last night ended very exciting and the knockout was impressive. The post fight antics during Jim Gray’s SHOBOX interview with him and Tyson Fury (current IBF, WBO, and WBA champion) also helped create some excitement for a division that has been vanilla and nearly invisible the past 20 years.
So, from Holyfield to Wilder; that’s where we are, still asking “Where have all the great heavyweights gone.” He is no Holyfield, but I think the potential is still there for Wilder to be significant; although there is work to be done before he is described in similar fashion and with words such as “heart, courage, and guts.” Those were all words consistently used to describe Evander Holyfield, whose 25th anniversary since winning the Heavyweight Championship against James “Buster” Douglas is being celebrated this month. Is Wilder the “Real Deal?” The jury is still out but hopeful.
Thanks for the memories Evander!