Reigning WBC heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder had originally been slated to square off against highly regarded contender Alexander Povetkin back on May 21. The fight. However, wound up being postponed by the WBC after Povetkin had reportedly tested positive for a substance known as meldonium – a recently banned substance added to the ever growing list of illegal performance enhancers.
Many boxing fans were disappointed at the way events unfolded, and even now, almost two full months later, the situation seemingly remains largely unresolved. During the interim of getting this sorted, Wilder decided to remain active and take a voluntary defense. That happened this past Saturday when Wilder once again successfully defended the WBC belt, this time against long time contender and former two time title challenger Chris Arreola.
It was another strong showing from Deontay Wilder who seems to be improving with each performance. Arreola was game, and he tried his best to apply pressure on the taller, faster, stronger and more athletic champion, but Wilder was able to easily neutralize Arreol’a ineffective aggression while making him pay a price for his efforts. Wilder made excellent use of his jab, displayed a very nice left hook, and did an overall fantastic job dictating the range, controlling the pace, and using his superior ring smarts and athleticism to tame the overmatched Arreola.
Wilder dropped Arreola hard in round 4 following a nice sequence of punches, and things ultimately came to an end following the 8th round when Arreola started taking a real beating. But despite the strong showing from Wilder, he suffered two injuries in the bouts, somewhere around the 4th when he had dropped Arreola. Wilder suffered a broken right hand and another injury to his right bicep. But despite the injuries, Wilder bravely fought on, hardly missing a beat, as he continued commanding the action by basically just using his jab and his left hook.
This victory enabled Deontay Wilder to join an exclusive club of former heavyweight champion greats. This edition of Rummy’s Corner explores Wilder takes a look at what Wilder accomplished and the elite company he now joins, while also providing a brief recap of his dominant win against Chris Arreola. Please watch and enjoy the video!