Early last summer, Haitian-born fighter Bermane “B.Ware” Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs) had just come off another victory against Chris Arreola. The first time he won by unanimous decision—the second time by knockout in the sixth round.Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs) knocked out Malik Scott a few months prior and his name was white-hot, just in time for Stiverne to name his next opponent. When the initial September bout with Stiverne was postponed, Wilder was able to sneak in another knockout in August, drumming up even more interest in the heavyweight champ.
Despite delays in making the fight due to issues on the business side of things, Stiverne and Wilder are ready to face each other tomorrow for a showdown in Las Vegas. This prediction is a bit of a close call, as both Stiverne and Wild are here for the taking. Stiverne has been in some tough fights and is looking to hold on to his belt, while Deontay Wilder’s brutal knockout percentage (100 percent) would send most men packing.
Not Stiverne though. The WBC Heavyweight champion is the first opponent to be placed in front of Wilder who actually stands a chance of winning. He’s not coming to the ring to be a punching bag, which seems like the case with Wilder’s last 32 opponents.
This weekend, whether you are putting your money on the Bronze Bomber or warning him to beware of Stiverne, one thing is for sure: the heavyweight division has not been this exciting in a very long time. And this is surely one of those fights that will separate the men from the boys. Let’s break down the exciting matchup to see which fighter gets the edge.
Tale of the Tape
The tale of the tape tells us a solid story. On paper, Deontay Wilder has the most advantages over Bermane Stiverne. At age 29, he’s seven years younger and almost four inches taller, making him a modern day Goliath. His incredible 83 inch reach is also a serious advantage considering Wilder does most of his work on the outside, with the right hand being his bread and butter.
Stiverne is much heavier than Wilder, which can aid in his power but also restrict movement. Stiverne may fall behind physically in terms of age, reach, and height, but even having six less fights than Wilder he still has more experience. The fact that Wilder has not been past the fourth round in a fight is a strong factor against picking him as a winner. Stiverne’s résumé is much more solid than Wilder’s. Several of his fights have gone into the deep rounds with Stiverne coming out victorious.
Without question Wilder has notable athleticism and physical advantages that can seriously help him beat Stiverne. On the other hand, Stiverne does not appear to be afraid of Wilder, and he has come face to face with quite a few powerful guys in his career. The deciding factors in this fight are not just the advantages each man has from the tape but how he will use them in the ring.
Main Storylines
Photo by Esther Lin
I must say the trash talking leading up to this fight has been glorious. Bermane Stiverne and Deontay Wilder’s confidence and digs at each other have given this fight the competitive edge and interest it needs to revive the heavyweight division.
Stiverne basically claims he’s going to ether his opponent, vowing, “After this fight you will never ever hear about Deontay Wilder.” He also addresses Wilder directly saying, “This is a real fight and this belt is staying right here in my home town. You’re going to get hurt, the worst thing you did was have me take you seriously, and I’m taking you seriously.”
Even having sat all 32 of his opponents down for a nap, Wilder knows this is a test for him and he says he’s ready:
“When I do the unexpected, I don’t want you all to degrade this man, Stiverne. I don’t want anyone to make excuses for my victory. Stick by your word. Let this be a test for me and watch me pass my test. I guarantee I will do it.”
Despite who wins tomorrow, both men will walk away with a nice paycheck. Wilder will receive $1 million, and Stiverne will take away a slightly smaller sum of $910,000 (per Boxing Scene). The purse is a heavyweight champ itself, but for the passionate fighter it’s about more than the money. Stiverne and Wilder are not there for the payday—they’re coming to earn respect and to take what each man believes is rightfully his. The competition doesn’t get much better than that.
Strengths for Each Man
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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.
Weaknesses for Each Man
Wilder
At this point Deontay Wilder’s chin is still a question mark in boxing. There are early videos of Wilder hitting the canvas with headgear on during his amateur career, suggesting his chin isn’t very strong, but we have yet to see in his chin be tested in his professional career.
Fighters either have a good chin or they don’t. However there are some workarounds that can mitigate the obstacle of having a glass jaw such as neck exercises (to better take punches), tight defense to protect the jaw (i.e. glove position and head movement), and the development of optimal balance and leg strength.
We can’t know for sure if Wilder uses these tactics in his training but if he does have a soft chin, they would make it less of a problem in the ring. Wilder has a habit of dropping his hands in mid and close range of his opponents and dropping his opposite hand when punching. He gets away with this habit mainly because of his height and reach, and he may very well get away with it when facing Bermane Stiverne.
Considering his chin though, this might not be a risk Wilder should take since Stiverne can box much better than his previous opponents. The smarter guy might be able to find his chin quickly and Wilder will find himself sitting on the canvas.
Photo by EPA
Stiverne
Bermane Stiverne spends too much time headhunting. If he uses the same course of action against Deontay Wilder, he’ll find himself at a dead-end or even worse, knocked out.
With Wilder towering at 6’6½” tall, Stiverne still needs to use his jab but also focus on getting to Wilder’s body and then getting out. Shaking things up a bit will keep Wilder guessing and let Stiverne find a craftier way to get to Wilder’s chin.
I’m curious to see if and how Stiverne can take away Wilder’s right hand. Stiverne should not make the mistake of retreating to the ropes or sitting on exchanges with Wilder as he did in the rematch with Chris Arreola.
Now with Arreola, Stiverne most likely felt out his power and realized he could exchange with him. Soft chin or not, Wilder is much stronger than Arreola, so letting Wilder beat on him is not an advisable tactic. Stiverne will have to figure out another way to feel out Wilder’s power and move forward with his game plan.
The Winner and Why – Deontay Wilder
Photo by Tom Casino
I’m going out on a limb and giving Deontay Wilder the edge. It’s a risk not because he lacks the tools to win, but because he hasn’t faced strong enough competition for me to place complete confidence in him. But if there’s anything I’ve learned writing predictions for fights, it’s not to have too many conditions for the guy you’re picking to win.
If I were to pick Bermane Stiverne, there would be too many conditions. He would have to stay off the ropes, avoid headhunting, use his jab to the body, move around effectively, and the list goes on. This is not to say Stiverne is incapable of doing these things, but I have to go off what I see. Based on his last fight, Stiverne made a lot of mistakes that wouldn’t fare well against Wilder.
Is Wilder’s chin still a point of concern? Of course it is. However, the holes in Wilder’s game such as his hand positioning and defense are things I don’t believe will be tested until he goes up against someone closer in height, reach, and power. The holes just simply aren’t big enough for Stiverne to take advantage of.
The only way I see Stiverne winning is by out-boxing Wilder, though this is unlikely. I don’t imagine these two coming in the ring to box pretty. It’s going to be nasty, and I’m giving Wilder the edge. Fortunately for Stiverne, anything can happen in boxing so we certainly can’t count him out.
May the best man’s punch win.
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