Deontay Wilder, the undefeated heavyweight gunning for his 33rd consecutive knockout when he meets Bermane Stiverne this Saturday for the WBC heavyweight title, has been very vocal about his chances in this fight. Stiverne, on the other hand, has kept his head down.
Until now.
Stiverne recently fired back at the brash Stiverne, predicting pain for the mouthy challenger. "I think Deontay Wilder is a clown. Wilder thinks this is the WWE. He acts like it's the WWE. This is for real," said Stiverne.
"It is going to hurt very bad. On Jan. 17, I will hurt Wilder and I will knock him out and it will be a lasting image in peoples' minds for a very long time."
Stiverne might not have much name value outside of boxing's hardcore fan base, but he is a formidable challenge to Wilder, who hasn't faced elite opposition in his first 32 pro bouts. That doesn't mean he should be discarded as a fraud.
Here are three reasons Wilder might have what it takes to be the next WBC heavyweight champion, and great American heavyweight.
Reach
Because Wilder's faced relatively low level of opposition, his boxing skills remain in question despite his gaudy record. Nobody outside of his camp really knows how Wilder's chin will hold up to being checked, but the best way to keep from finding out is to use his reach.
Wilder is not the most massive heavyweight ever, but he is very tall (6'6) even for boxing's biggest division. He has an 83-inch reach, three inches greater than Stiverne's, and would be well-served using it by keeping a jab in Stiverne's face to keep him from gumming up the bout by getting inside.
Unfamiliarity
While Wilder hasn't faced the toughest opponents, and may be in for a shock vs. Stiverne, he also hasn't had to open up his bag of tricks to win a fight yet. Maybe he doesn't have a bag of tricks-it's too soon to tell-but there's going to be an element of unpredictability if Stiverne pushes Wilder more than his past opponents have.
He hasn't had to show much of his boxing skills before, but he is an Olympic bronze medalist and might surprise the veteran champ.
That Power
I'm not being cute here and acting like the main reason Wilder's a big deal isn't his power. Going through Stiverne's fight reel doesn't reveal a master of defense. Stiverne's shown a tendency to tire during fights and drop his hands. If he drops his defense and gets caught by Wilder at any point in the fight, it could be game over.
Regardless of the opponents, winning 32 straight professional bouts by knockout-all of which came by Round 4 or earlier-is cause for concern. Wilder's KO power is absolutely real, as are his size advantages. His hand speed, defense and generalship might be tested this weekend, but his power will always be the ace in the hole.
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