Saturday night, the first American heavyweight titlist since 2006 defended his title on network television. “The Bronze Bomber” Deontay Wilder stepped into the ring without much fanfare. Despite his status as a heavyweight champion, the fight didn’t cost an exorbitant amount of money because it was on free TV, courtesy of Al Haymon’s PBC on NBC. Many In the Clutch readers may not have even realized that the fight occurred. Why? Wilder was fighting a tomato can. (I know what you’re thinking, but let’s let the retired folks rest in the shade.)
The wild and free-swinging Wilder got more of a battle than he probably bargained for when his bargain basement opponent proved to be feisty and durable. Johann Duhaupas, a fighter who had never been heard of outside of France, brought the fight to the offensive-minded Wilder for much of the night and even managed to give him a bad case of Berto eye. Don’t get it twisted though, Wilder winged, bombed and moved his way to a wide margin on the scorecards before gaining the 10th round stoppage by pummeling his overmatched opponent with no return fire in sight.
For casual fight fans and those who love all-out action, it was a fairly exciting fight. Unlike many in the current crop of safety-first fighters, Wilder is trying to finish up and clock out early every single fight. He swings for the fences with nearly every punch like an off-the-wagon knockout addict. He throws vicious hooks, crosses and jumpercuts with reckless abandon. It’s exciting and fun to watch, but raises concerns on how long he can continue winning with the obvious flaws in his technique.
Like many fighters, Wilder feasted on nothing but bums as a talented prospect. He impressively knocked out unimpressive fighters while building his reputation and fan base. It says a lot that his toughest opponent before the title match against Bermaine Stiverne was against an internet troll named Charlie Zelanoff (YouTube it!) Even Stiverne, who is universally regarded as the only opponent with a pulse Wilder has seen in the ring, doesn’t have the greatest resume. The only decent fighter Stiverne faced before Wilder was Chris Arreola, who is more of a division gatekeeper than a legitimate title contender.
I’m OK with the fact that Wilder took the easy route to his first title. Now that he owns a belt though, it’s time to act like a champion and leave the tomato cans home in the pantry. The ultimate fight for Wilder would be one with the universally recognized heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko, who holds the IBF, WBA, WBO and RING versions of the crown. Wilder owns the WBC strap that Klitschko’s brother, Vitali, vacated when he retired from the sport.
Hurdles exist before Wladimir Klitschko and Wilder can meet in the ring. Both have mandatory fights ordered by the sanctioning bodies. Klitschko was scheduled to fight on October 24 against Tyson Fury, but the fight has been postponed due to a calf injury suffered by the champion. The rescheduled bout will likely take place at the end of November. Meanwhile, Wilder’s mandatory is Alexander Povetkin, who is a top contender whose only loss came at the hands of Klitschko. Povetkin is scheduled to fight Mariusz Wach on November 4. Should he emerge victorious (as expected), the WBC then expects him to challenge Wilder for the title. Povetkin is a skilled and dangerous fighter and would be a serious threat to dethrone Wilder. He is leaps and bounds better than any of Wilder’s previous opponents, Stiverne included, and has plenty of experience on the world-class level.
Wilder has stated that he wants to be the most active heavyweight champion in recent history. Instead of waiting for Povetkin, he is expected to petition the WBC for a match in December, presumably against another scrub. He’s also stated that he wants to finally fight Klitschko at the end of 2016. What that means is if he beats Povetkin, he’ll likely try to fight one or two more bums before Klitschko. It’s improbable that he would risk the biggest fight and payday of his career by facing real opponents.
Wilder and his handlers have it all wrong. Instead of waiting for Klitschko to get old overnight, they should be fighting for a unification bout as soon as possible. Yes, Klitschko is a much better fighter than Wilder. His technique is better, his defense is better, he’s more powerful and he has the experience. However, once upon a time, Klitschko’s chin was thought to be one of the worst in boxing. While it’s been more than 11 years since Klitschko was last knocked out, chins rarely get better. Defense does. The 6’6” Ukrainian normally has a big reach advantage over his opponents, which he uses to punch them from a distance then hogtie them in close quarters. Wilder stands 6’7” and actually has a two-inch reach advantage. That means if the powerful pride of Tuscaloosa can land one of those wild power shots on Dr. Steelhammer’s chin, he could shock the world and become the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
On the other hand, Wilder’s chin would also probably get stopped and frisked in NY (it’s suspicious). If he keeps fighting garbage men, eventually one will get lucky and knock him into the back of the truck. It’s time for Wilder to get serious and fight credible, championship-caliber opponents. He’s already an exciting fighter, so a loss to a real fighter would not be devastating to his career. A loss to a bum might. Time to put his on the line and face the best like a true champion.
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