A Look at Deontay Wilder

A Look at Deontay Wilder

By Simon Graham

On the 23rd November Deontay Wilder the WBC heavyweight champion of the world will step into the ring for the second time against Luiz Ortiz. For many years Ortiz was mostly feared and avoided by many of the division’s top contenders, Wilder will have fought him twice.

Ironically the same boxer suddenly came under much scrutiny after he was stopped in the 10th round by Wilder. Was Ortiz worthy of the bogeyman tag! followed by questions to the legitimacy of his true age insinuating he was an over the hill fighter. All pretty much disrespectful when you consider that had the 7th round been 30 seconds longer we could have been celebrating the first Cuban heavyweight champion.

So why all the negativity surrounding what was a great comeback win by Wilder, who 9 months later was engaged in a thrilling encounter with Tyson Fury and then went on to destroy Dominic Breazeale in devastating fashion 5 months after that, coming back from the brink of a defeat and dispatching of lesser opponents easily, is that not what a true champion is supposed to do?

Say what you will about Wilder and his technical boxing ability. It may well be a little rough around the edges, he does however have the ultimate weapon, a deadly, freakishly powerful right hand punch and a pretty good chin too. In a division where one punch can decide the outcome of a fight, he needs little else to continue his reign as the WBC king.

George Foreman was never gifted with boxing ability, he brutally powered his way through to ultimate glory. Admittedly, in the end, he was outboxed and outclassed by Muhammad Ali, but he was something special, there is no-one in the current crop of heavyweights remotely eligible enough to lace Ali’s gloves.

Jack Dempsey was another boxer not gifted with outstanding boxing ability. He just brutalised his opponents with volumes of ferocious punches from all kinds of weird angles, I’m not suggesting for one minute that Wilder, Foreman, and Dempsey are of the same caliber of fighter, but you get the picture.

Perhaps we can argue that Fury gave Wilder a boxing lesson but even he succumbed and tasted the power of Wilder having to pick himself up off the canvas twice, Fury in truth didn’t really dominate Wilder enough which was reflected in the judge’s decision to declare the fight a draw.

Let us also not forget that in an amateur career that only consisted of 30 fights, Wilder won both the Golden Gloves Championship, the US  National Finals, and then later won Bronze at the 2008 Olympics, that’s not a bad return for someone who first got into boxing at the age of 20.

By his own admission he is still learning on the job too, what remains to be seen is whether Wilder is learning from those valuable lessons and is able to execute the knowledge learned, the pressure is on him to despatch of Ortiz in quick fashion and then impress in the much-anticipated rematch with Fury.

Wilders’s unconventional style has tarnished him as an unfashionable champion. Through no fault of his own reputable contenders like Artur Szpilka, Chris Arreola, Gerald Washington, and the aforementioned Ortiz, were all held in high esteem at one time or another only to became ordinary journeymen after they were convincingly beaten by Wilder.

Make no mistake about it The Bronze Bomber can box a bit when he wants to. He has a good solid jab when he utilises it properly, however, his impulsive need to ‘knockout’ his opponents with highlight-reel punches often leave him punching thin air windmill style and open to counters which Fury exposed to great effect, however, when he does connect, it’s devastating!!

Wilder can seem brash, sometimes arrogant, his occasional controversial comments sometimes raise the odd eyebrow or two, but there is no denying his drive and determination, his self-belief in both himself and his punching power make him a very dangerous champion indeed. Don’t be surprised if at the end of 2020 The Bronze Bomber is declared the king of kings, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.