Strengths for Each Man
Photo by Reuters
Wilder
They call Deontay Wilder the Bronze Bomber for a reason. His two biggest strengths so far are power and athleticism. He has an uncanny ability to demolish his opponent while making it look effortless. Even in his second to last fight, his lead hook-right hand combination happened with such ease that it appeared Malik Scott took the fall on purpose.
All it really takes is one good shot by Wilder to take out Bermane Stiverne. Wilder is known for his power, especially his brazen right hand, yet he is quite patient in the ring, doing most of his work on the outside. Wilder takes his time and uses his jab to find his range and then goes in for the kill.
Though the right hand is his money punch, it was interesting in his fight with Scott to see his left hook seal the knockout deal as opposed to just his right hand. This demonstrated versatility on Wilder’s part, and showed he knows how to follow-up on his punches at the right time.
Photo by Naoki Fukada
Stiverne
I have a feeling that in this fight Bermane Stiverne will not back down from Deontay Wilder. Besides being a strong guy, Stiverne is not afraid to come forward. He’ll have to pay extra attention to the distance between him and Wilder since being in front of him puts Stiverne directly in the line of fire—and with a reach like Wilder’s, this is not something he wants to do.
Like Wilder, Stiverne also takes his time on the outside, which should make the initial pace of the bout a steady one. Stiverne has decent movement for a heavyweight and he should consider using his angles as a means to attack Wilder. So far Stiverne has demonstrated a good chin but he still needs to remain cautious going toe-to-toe with Wilder.
