If we go by terms of sheer, raw power (raw being the operative word here) Deontay Wilder is arguably THE single hardest hitter in all of boxing today. And this is indeed an argument the WBC heavyweight champ’s trainer Jay Deas makes. Strongly.
Speaking with Sky Sports – ahead, Deas hopes, of a massive, massive four-belt heavyweight unification showdown between his warrior and Anthony Joshua – Wilder’s long-time coach tried to explain how plenty of fight fans “don’t know what they’re looking at” when Wilder puts on a punishing display of punching power.
“Punching is God-given to a degree,” Deas says. “You can improve punch-power through conditioning and proper technique by about 10 to 13 percent. But most of it is God-given. One guy hits someone and something happens – another guy hits someone and nothing happens. People don’t know what they’re looking at. When a guy is as tall as Deontay [he stands a fraction above 6’7”] it can look awkward. Look at the Klitschko brothers. Wladimir was the most technically correct fighter of the past 20 years. Vitali was unorthodox – hands by his side, looping punches. They will both be in The Hall of Fame. There’s more than one way to do things.”
Wilder, who has scored 39 KO’s from his 40 wins, certainly does things his way; and Deas’ way. But it sure works.
“Look at the [second] Bermane Stiverne fight. The first knockdown was like Wladimir – technically perfect one-two. The second and third knockdowns were more Vitali,” Deas said.
Deas also talked about a special routine he and Wilder use: The belly-button test:
“If Deontay hits you with a right hand and his belly-button is facing you, it’s so-so,” Deas informs us. “If he hits you and his belly-button has turned a quarter to Deontay’s left, it’s a very good shot. If he hits you and his belly-button has turned almost completely sideways to the left, it’s a knockout punch. It’s about the torque of the waist and the turn of the back-foot coming through the hip, and the deltoid protecting your chin. Tommy Hearns, a tall and skinny guy, said it was about the turn of the waist. Where your belly-button ends up shows you exactly how much power is in the shot.”
Interesting stuff indeed. If Wilder’s punching approach was good enough for the great Tommy Hearns, then who are we to question it? And Deas makes a good point regarding Vitali Klitschko. The elder Klitschko brother was “crude” and “unpolished” according to some fans and experts; just like Wilder is in the opinion of this same thinking. But Vitali showed how great he was a number of times.
If Wilder gets the Joshua fight and knocks him out, rest assured there will be less and less critics referring to Wilder’s lack of polish and his rawness. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, the saying goes. And it’s Wilder who is doing the breaking; as in breaking bones and winning fights by KO.
Is Wilder the hardest puncher in the game today? He could well be.