In boxing, no matter how dark the cloud, the silver lining is usually there for the truly optimistic. Perhaps our silver lining, after the utter atrocity that was boxing in 2014, is the fact that there is a truly meaningful Heavyweight fight coming up. On January 17, Deontay Wilder will face off with Bermane Stiverne on Showtime.
The implications could be massive. Wladimir Klitschko is lining up a fight in April in New York, but he’ll be no doubt watching this one closely as a potential fall battle with the winner looms. A fight with either Stiverne or Wilder would be one of the bigger showdowns for Klitschko, who has simply blown away anybody they put in front of him for years.
When we look at the Stiverne vs. Wilder matchup, the first thing that pops up is the significant height advantage Wilder will enjoy. But Stiverne has been in with better competition. In fact, Wilder’s record of 32-0 with 32 KOs should stand out as a warning to all future fighters that records mean absolutely nothing. As spotless as that record is, his two most notable wins have come against an asshole on Twitter and an inanimate object.
He also knocked out Malik Scott, who was supposed to provide some sort of challenge, but instead got destroyed in about 90 seconds. He ended up looking like somebody sniped him from the rafters when Wilder threw a punch that made Ali’s knockout of Sonny Liston in their rematch look like Pacquiao’s shot on Ricky Hatton.
Dubious records and knockouts aside, here’s what we know–Wilder is an Olympic bronze medalist. He’s enormous, standing at nearly 6’7”, and as lousy as his slate of opponents have been, he clearly has good pop.
His opponent, the Haitian-born Bermane Stiverne, rose to prominence on the heels of back-to-back wins over Chris “Free Buffet” Arreola. After getting a late start in boxing, Stiverne has positioned himself for a huge opportunity at 36-years-old. He is BY FAR the best opponent Wilder has ever faced, but perhaps the same could be said for him.
And that is really what makes this bout so intriguing–we really don’t know what to make of Wilder. Is he an enormous but fragile, chinny fighter who will fold in his first real test like Michael Grant before him? Or is he the truth, the next great American Heavyweight who is finally ready to challenge the great Klitschko?
And what of those persistent claims of a questionable beard? Any fighter looks to avoid the dreaded “chinny” label, but many times–especially in boxing, a sport where rumors travel through gyms like a bad virus–there is often some truth to the gossip. He was knocked down by Harold Sconiers back in 2010. He got up to destroy the hopelessly over matched opponent, but hey, it happened.
And then, there’s this, an amateur fight where Wilder gets utterly wrecked.
What does it mean? It could be that it doesn’t mean a damn thing. Anybody can get hurt or knocked out at anytime, and these fights were years ago. The good news for Wilder is that he gets to finally make a statement one way or the other. Make no mistake, Stiverne will seriously test his chin. Despite being the smaller man, he can crack.
For Stiverne, he was impressive as hell in dispatching of the rugged Arreola in two exciting fights, though there were moments in both fights where Arreola was able to land hard shots and fight effectively. But Stiverne shows a certain ease in the ring, like he is always in control. He projects a confidence, never betraying a nervous side, always seeming relaxed.
One could imagine Wilder starting out by keeping his distance and jabbing his way to an early lead, while Stiverne bides his time and attempts to work his way inside, where he can land the bombs he likes to toss.
The fun part will probably start in the middle rounds, where we’ll see if Wilder can not only take Stiverne’s best shots, but buzz him with shots of his own. It’s imperative for Wilder to keep Stiverne on the outside, where he can land his jab and straight right hand. Will he start to panic if things aren’t going his way?
That’s where Stiverne’s experience against better opposition might come in – while he has fought guys who can hit, nobody on Wilder’s list of fallen opponents has a reputation for being a big puncher. Stiverne will look to chin check Wilder and wait for the reaction. If Wilder can handle it, this fight could be a long-distance battle. If not, Stiverne will rip right through him on his way to a shot at Klitschko.
So what happens? The feeling here is that Stiverne will wait Wilder out and fall behind early, before ripping shots in the middle rounds and stopping the American. For Wilder, the jump in competition may prove a bit too steep to overcome.
Then again, we’ve seen the maturation of fighters before our eyes plenty of times to know not to completely disregard Wilder as another hype job ready to collapse in front of us.
Here’s to hoping Wilder is the goods. We can wipe 2014 clean and start out with a rousing Heavyweight scrap to ring in the new year. When is the last time that happened? Perhaps I’m crazy, but like most boxing fans who suffer through an endless barrage of waste to trudge through the sport we love, I’ll remain optimistic.
God knows we’re due.
Some Random Notes From Around The Boxing World
Jermain Taylor, who went from good natured, wide-eyed champion to bat shit crazy, badly faded, accused shooter guy, will defend the title he won by beating Sam “Slippery Feet” Soliman against Sergio Mora. This wouldn’t have been all that interesting back in 2005 when these guys were still relevant. Taylor will probably be in jail before the year is out, and Mora will probably continue to broaden a promising career in broadcasting. They’re both way more interesting out of the ring.
Leo Santa Cruz will defend his belt on the Stiverne vs. Wilder undercard. Once again, it will be against a guy we have no interest in at all. He will win easily and then thank Al Haymon, who has effectively sucked the fucking life out of his once-promising career.
Guillermo Rigondeaux was in a decent fight for the first time in forever, and suddenly he’s an all-action fighter who needs to be broadcast immediately? He still has zero mainstream appeal and will bring horrid ratings unless he’s fighting a big name. Of course, if he keeps getting dropped with every shot that lands cleanly, those big names might stop avoiding him sooner than later…
“Fistory?” Whoever is handling Pacquiao’s Twitter account needs to curtail that shit quickly.
Good thing Amir Khan has given Floyd a deadline. That oughta scare him.
Miguel Cotto is being attacked for taking his time in deciding how many millions he wants to make, and for how much risk. Yet, Floyd Mayweather has made a career out of that exact same thing.
