Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
Although the stoppage was a bit controversial, Anthony Joshua continued to establish himself as one of the best Heavyweights in the world this past weekend (October 28, 2017), successfully defending his titles with a 10th-round TKO victory over Carlos Takam.
With Joshua scoring another victory, fight fans are now once again clamoring to see him take on reigning WBC champion Deontay Wilder. And while the bout certainly serves as an intriguing possibility, Wilder is currently set to rematch Bermane Stiverne this weekend (November 4, 2017) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Wilder and Stiverne first met in January 2015, with “The Bronze Bomber” scoring a one-sided unanimous decision victory to win the WBC title that he still holds today. Since then, the 32-year-old has scored five consecutive victories to extend his professional record to a perfect 38-0, with 37 of those victories coming by way of stoppage.
As a former Olympian, Wilder is incredibly athletic and quite experienced, but he’s most known for his power. In fact, 18 of his 37 knockout victories have come in the first round.
As opposed to Wilder, Stiverne hasn’t been too active since their fight in 2015. He’s fought only one time since, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Derric Rossy in November 2015, meaning he’ll have been out of action for nearly two years when he steps back into the ring this weekend.
Despite his recent inactivity, Stiverne holds a professional record of 25-2-1, with 21 of those victories coming by way of stoppage. He obviously has some power of his own, and he also has a durable chin, as he stands as the only opponent of Wilder’s to last the duration of the bout.
It’s also important to note that Stiverne is at a physical disadvantage. At 38-years-old, he’s a bit older than Wilder, and he’s certainly much smaller than the Bronze Bomber. Wilder stands at a staggering 6’7”, while having a reach of 83 inches. Stiverne, on the other hand, is 6’2” with an 80 inch reach.
At the end of the day, the cards appear to land in Wilder’s favor. He has noticeable physical advantages, has been more active as of late, and already has a win over Stiverne.
I don’t expect this rematch to be any closer than the first bout, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wilder finish the fight. I simply feel as if he’s the superior fighter.
Header photo by PBC
