Deontay Wilder boxing news
Things may well change, and perceptions will definitely change, if Anthony Joshua can beat ex-champ Wladimir Klitschko on the 29th of this month; but right now, rival heavyweight ruler Deontay Wilder has plenty of people on his side when he says he is “on a whole other level” to the reigning IBF champ.
Wilder, in speaking with FightHype, made this claim and he says he has more experience and has faced more styles of fighters than has AJ. Just who is the better fighter of the two right now?
It’s universally agreed that reigning WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder is a most exciting fighter, a very powerful and dangerous fighter, and a very determined fighter (Deontay could easily have quit in pain having suffered the hand and arm injuries he picked up in his win over Chris Arreola last summer).
But what we don’t know is this: how good is Wilder? The unbeaten KO artist could well be the best big man on the scene today, and Wilder, 38-0(37) has made it clear a number of times that he wants the big, big fights to prove his dominance. These defining fights, against the likes of the Anthony Joshua-Wladimir Klitschko winner, Tyson Fury (if the giant can return as planned) and others may come. But imagine for a second if Wilder was busy defending his green belt against the best contenders the 1990s had to offer; the men who came, oh, so close to becoming champion.
While congratulations have to go out to reigning WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, who is going to soon see unveiled a statue of his likeness in his honour, some fight fans are sure to wonder whether or not the honour is a little premature. Wilder is an exciting fighter and, with his punching power, a threat to anyone – but a statue; after arguably just one solid ring victory (over Bermane Stiverne, the man Wilder decisioned to win the crown)?
Tony Bellew, with his big upset stoppage win over David Haye sure caused massive ripples in the heavyweight division. Now being looked at by two of the reigning world heavyweight champs as a realistic and legit challenger, “Bomber” could be on the verge of landing himself a shot at either the WBC or the WBO crown.
WBO ruler Joseph Parker is interested in a lucrative fight with Bellew, and WBC king Deontay Wilder is also not ruling it out. It’s probable, highly so, that both unbeaten heavyweights feel Bellew would be relatively easy picking, with the big payday attached to the fight too big to pass up. But Haye badly underestimated Bellew and we all saw what happened there.
Whatever he decides to do next, it has to be agreed how Tony Bellew, the fighter all of British boxing is talking about right now, has had some great career. Bellew shocked the odds in winning the WBC cruiserweight title against Ilunga Makabu last year, while last night, in the most incredible fight of 2017 so far, Bellew stunned the sport with his wild and crazy win over David Haye.
People will be talking about last night’s fight for some time, yet already fans are asking what move “Bomber” will make next. Retirement, on the back of his biggest win and payday, could be a tempting option for the 34 year-old, but it’s also possible – believe it or not – that Bellew could get a shot at one of the world heavyweight belts.
Breazeale says he was “blindsided by sucker punches”
Deontay Wilder releases statement
It seems heavyweights Deontay Wilder and Dominic Breazeale did not fight once each on Saturday night in Alabama, but twice – their second fight, or brawl, being between each other. Wilder, who retained his WBC crown with a come-from-behind stoppage win over a game Gerald Washington, later got into it with Breazeale, who won an exciting fight with the unbeaten Izuagbe Ugonoh – so claims Breazeale.
As per the WBC, a return meeting between the governing body’s heavyweight ruler Deontay Wilder and former champ Bermane Stiverne is on the way; ordered as the rematch has been. Wilder, who took the green belt he now holds from Stiverne back in January of 2015, wants to unify the titles, but he will seemingly also have to accommodate the man he out-pointed (Wilder’s best win to date).
Deontay Wilder looked a little rusty in the early going of his fight with Gerald Washington last night, but the defending (for the fifth time) WBC heavyweight champ got the job done in style in the end. Rust or no rust, Wilder is certainly capable of being outboxed and his critics will no doubt point to the opening four rounds of the Washington fight as more proof of this, but Wilder has the big, the monstrous, the devastating equaliser: his crushing right hand.
Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder scored a fifth-round technical knockout over Gerald Washington. Wilder landed a powerful short right hand followed by a left hook to Washington’s temple that sent him crumbling to the canvas. Washington beat the count, but was on very unsteady footing. Wilder quickly jumped all over him and landed several unanswered thunderous left and right hooks that badly staggered Washington and violently snapped his head back, which prompted referee Michael Griffin to stop the fight at 1 minute, 45 seconds in the round, to save Washington from taking anymore punishment.
In the blistering televised opener, Dominic Breazeale (18-1, 16 KOs) stopped previously unbeaten Izuagbe Ugonoh (17-1, 14 KOs). Ugonoh controlled the fight early landing heavy blows to both Breazeale’s body and head, but Breazeale was able to compose himself and stormed back to knock out Ugonoh in impressive fashion.
The co-main event featured Jarrett Hurd (20-0, 14 KOs) knocking out Tony Harrison (24-2, 20 KOs) in the ninth round of their contest.