Which fighter has the best chance of bringing at least a slice of the heavyweight title back to America, the country that once all but owned the belts for decade after decade?
Last night, in utterly destroying the rusty yet experienced Serhei Liakhovich in one chilling round with one chilling right hand (if the former WBO champ’s face didn’t tell the story, his quivering limbs sure did!), unbeaten 27-year-old Deontay Wilder made some people believe in him and his title hopes a little more.
Wilder, 29-0(29) isn’t the finished article yet but his punching ability certainly is noteworthy. But is Wilder the best American heavyweight out there today?
Here are the best US big men on the scene right now:
As fans will possibly be aware, heavyweight powerhouse David Tua, arguably one of the best fighters never to have captured a major title, will be back in action later this month, when the 40-year-old will tangle with Russian giant Alexander Ustinov.
As fans may have read, middleweight ruler (begging the pardon of Sergio Martinez) Gennady Golovkin is shopping around for a November challenger, with a December fight also pencilled in. Currently one of the hottest fighters/champions/out and out punchers in boxing, “GGG” has fans salivating for more pure punching action. 
You’ve got to hand it to former football player Seth Mitchell. The once-beaten 31-year-old had limited amateur experience and “Mayhem,” as the Brandywine slugger is known, has not found the transition from the field to the ring to be a natural one. But whatever shortcomings Mitchell has as a fighter – and his critics maintain they are plenty – the 26-1-1(19) contender makes up for them, or almost makes up for them, with sheer heart.
Last night in San Antonio was quite simply boxing at its very best. The Golden Boy card – surely the leading candidate for Card Of The Year (if there is such an award) – gave us three, count them, three, great fights; two of which are definite FOTY candidates. With the televised opener (at least it was on BoxNation, and how grateful should UK fight fans be for that channel picking up last night’s card!) we had a very good fight in Keith Thurman-Diego Chaves, while with the two epics that were Omar Figueroa-Nihito Arakawa and Jesus Soto Karass-Andre Berto we had unforgettable action delivered by way of two breathtaking slugfests.
It’s official: Carl Froch will defend his WBA and IBF super-middleweight titles against unbeaten countryman George Groves later this year at a venue in the UK to be determined soon. The exact date is also TBA but both men appeared live on Sky Sports News at 12 noon UK time today, to talk about the fight.
Tonight at Wembley, Dereck Chisora got back to winning ways with a 6th-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Malik Scott. The ending, at the very least a slightly controversial one, came at the two minute and 56-seconds mark of the 6th.
It’s the middle of a magical year in a magical decade and we are in a magical place for boxing. Only boxing royalty is present this night, that and the finest, most gifted artists, writers and performers of the day. The one and only Miles Davis, enveloped in silhouette, plays for the guest of honour, while Sugar Ray’s fellow boxing masters, the ones he has personally invited to his latest post-fight celebration, sit and drink and revel and talk boxing and money and fame and immortality as they bask in the glory they have each long since grown accustomed to enjoying.