By Peter Wells:
Big time boxing is back, big time Heavyweight boxing is back. Bermane Stiverne and Deontay Wilder are not quite at the pinnacle of the boxing world. But their explosive tendencies and Deontay's country of origin make this the most talked about Heavyweight title fight in years.
What will come after January 17th however will be even bigger, a potential unification fight to determine a true Heavyweight champion of the world. More than anything a chance for Wladimir Klitschko to claim supremacy in his era as Heavyweight champ.
For Wilder 32-0(32) this seems to have been a long while coming. One never envisioned the charismatic Tuscaloosa, Alabama puncher taking the mandatory route to a world title When all 6’7” of the Bronze Bomber leaves “Bomb Squad!!” reverberating around your living room then it takes very little to get Wilder onto the big stage.
The naysayers may argue that Wilder has jumped the gun on this one, that he is undeserving of this opportunity. But should Wilder win then I’ll stick to my analogy that if you can win the fight then you deserved the fight. However win or lose, no one has had the fans talking about a Heavyweight as much as Wilder has in many moons. Wilder is the source of much criticism but also much praise. Not only would victory on Saturday night lift him along side Wladimir at the top of the tree and earn him millions of bucks, it will also elevate his credentials as a legit star of the Heavyweight division and not the pretender that is yet to prove himself in a “real fight”. As contrary to what some may say, being appreciated in the sport of boxing is a championship belt of its own.
Now my apologies to the WBC Heavyweight champion of the world Bermane Stiverne 24-1-1(21) – I told you that Wilder has people talking!
Stiverne is the man here, the fighter that has not made the headlines like Wilder, but the fighter that has engaged with some of the top contenders at Heavyweight.
After a knockout defeat to Demetrice King early in his career and then a draw with Charles Davies, Stiverne was never really on anyone’s radar. Victory in 2 rounds over Kertson Manswell batted some eyelids, but a tough night against Ray Austin – in a 10 round TKO win – didn’t help in raising awareness for B. Ware.
But in April 2013 Stiverne made a splash, cutting up, dropping and defeating Chris Arreola over 12 rounds. Over a year later and the feat was repeated, this time however it was for the WBC Heavyweight championship. Stiverne was rattled himself before dropping and stopping Arreola in a barnburner live on ESPN.
This time it’s Showtime at the MGM Grand, the bright lights on Stiverne like never before. This is an opportunity to not only end the unbeaten streak of one of boxing’s hottest prospects, but also a chance to take his popularity to a new level. Stiverne, like Wilder, exudes excitement, and this would be unlikely to be his final big payday on Showtime. He will have HBO and Showtime toughing it out to earn the rights to show a Heavyweight unification clash with Klitschko, while other contenders including Tyson Fury and Bryant Jennings would be hot on his heels.
The contest seems unlikely to be decided on the judges scorecards, with only Stiverne ever completing the full 12 rounds – once.
Wilder’s tactics will see him attempt to box from the outside, where his power and timing are most effective. On the inside his uppercut can be deadly, but it is not for one second where he will want to find himself against the shorter Stiverne.
Stiverne will tuck up to avoid being scorched by a right hand or long left hook while coming in, keeping that head bobbing to negate the Wilder jab.
The sooner Stiverne can apply the pressure the better, and head-hunting would be wisely saved till the second half of the fight, or if and when he has Wilder in trouble? Body shots against the long torso of Wilder could be effective, considering Wilder is yet to see beyond the 4th round.
Questions will remain until Stiverne lands a first big shot on the chin of Wilder, as to how the American can take one on the whiskers.
It could come down to how many he takes though, if Stiverne is able to find himself at a good range and begins landing with hard crisp combinations, then no matter how solid the foundations, the cracks will appear.
The expectation is that Stiverne will test Wilder like never before, possibly even rocking the American early on. But the pick is for Wilder to adjust after a far from clever start to the contest, moving his feet more, and picking his shots. The jab will become more effective as the contest wears on, and the bobbing and weaving from Stiverne may start to decrease.
With ice running through his veins, Wilder will grow in confidence enough to look for the stoppage, this can come at any time with a puncher like Wilder but the preference would be between rounds 6-9.
