When is Wilder going to step up to the big boys? His team is making noise about wanting a fight with Thompson.
Is this more lip service or is he really tired of splashing around in the wadding pool?
I’d really like Wilder to do well but he has to start fighting some names. 27 wins 27 KOs is impressive until you see Wilder fight, he looks crude to me.
Maybe he is always going to look awkward, which is ok if he starts beating some names. I hope he can make a fight with Thompson.
Anyone have anything to say about Deontay Wilder?
It’s hard to ignore a big puncher unless he continues to fight nonames.
He is taking his time, but Wilder is a guy who was very raw coming out of the amateur scene. He did win a bronze medal but he didn’t have a ton of experience. I would like him to get more rounds in rather than just KO every damn body, but hey I don’t make his fights. His management have a difficult task. Bring the kid along and have him improve but there has to be a correct pace where he still “gets up” mentally and physically for every fight…it’s a tricky proposition.
27 pro fights and still cutting his teeth is still a lot, though.
He’s dangerously approaching Cesar Chavez territory.
If he had the success of Chavez as an American heavyweight would people be all that disappointed in him? He’s big, he’s fun to watch fight, and he’s American…that’s what people SAY is missing in the division. The people who always see the division as something it never used to be, say that’s what’s missing.
If he had the success of Chavez as an American heavyweight would people be all that disappointed in him? He’s big, he’s fun to watch fight, and he’s American…that’s what people SAY is missing in the division. The people who always see the division as something it never used to be, say that’s what’s missing.[/QUOTE]
I’m referring mostly to Junior.
Junior fought bums for the first 40 fights of his career.
So Wilder would still get a little slack… but not much.
Personally, I’m rooting for Wilder to become that challenger Wlad has never had.
If he had the success of Chavez as an American heavyweight would people be all that disappointed in him? He’s big, he’s fun to watch fight, and he’s American…that’s what people SAY is missing in the division. The people who always see the division as something it never used to be, say that’s what’s missing.[/QUOTE]
I’m referring mostly to Junior.
Junior fought bums for the first 40 fights of his career.
So Wilder would still get a little slack… but not much.
Personally, I’m rooting for Wilder to become that challenger Wlad has never had.[/QUOTE]
I assumed you were talking about Junior. Wilder won’t be ready to really challenge Wlad until Wlad is retired. Wlad did say “Deontay Wilder has the fastest hands I’ve seen for a heavyweight in sparring” so that has to count for something.
If he had the success of Chavez as an American heavyweight would people be all that disappointed in him? He’s big, he’s fun to watch fight, and he’s American…that’s what people SAY is missing in the division. The people who always see the division as something it never used to be, say that’s what’s missing.[/QUOTE]
I’m referring mostly to Junior.
Junior fought bums for the first 40 fights of his career.
So Wilder would still get a little slack… but not much.
Personally, I’m rooting for Wilder to become that challenger Wlad has never had.[/QUOTE]
I assumed you were talking about Junior. Wilder won’t be ready to really challenge Wlad until Wlad is retired. Wlad did say “Deontay Wilder has the fastest hands I’ve seen for a heavyweight in sparring” so that has to count for something.[/QUOTE]
Unfortunately, I think you’re right about Wilder not being ready. He’s too raw to be ready anytime soon. I just think you were overstating Junior’s success. Change his last name, and he’d be just another journeyman, feasting on inferior and undersized opposition. Wilder has no such advantage, but he’s turning heads on his own merit. He just needs an upgrade in opponents sooner rather than later.
Wilder also needs to fill out his frame, he’s 6’7 and was 228 his last bout. I want to see him stretched the distance vs someone good or KO someone who has been prooven to have a rock solid chin. He’s got a lot of “classes to take” (how he takes a punch, how’s his defense, how’s his stamina, can he get off the deck and win, can he KO late when he has to, does his power carry in the later rounds, does he have a “plan B”, etc) as it were to show he’s ready for the big boys. Moving him up too quickly could result in him being the next Michael Grant.
Swap out the name Chavez for American Heavyweight and is there really a difference?
Wilder might be green and not fought many rounds but the first half against Wlad would be very exicting.
I’ve only seen him fight once and, despite his undoubted punch power, he looked very crude and raw. He certainly didn’t look like someone who’d had 27 fights.
Impossible to say how good or bad he is until he faces some kind of test.
Seems like I’ve been giving the same answer and hearing the same question for about 2,3 years now.
He needs to do more against better and actually take at least one clean quality heavyweight punch before he is considered anything near the realm of a future title threat or his power called phenomenal.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Wilder is going to die on the vine.
The garbage he’s fighting is not making him better, it’s making him worse.
No excuse to not have taken a live, tested challenge by now. I call bullshit
on any attempt to excuse his slow progress, he’s been a pro for over 4 years
now. If he can’t learn the craft enough to accept a challenge in that time,
he never will. I’m not saying he should be fighting for a title yet, I’m saying
he should be fighting someone that doesn’t have a second job.
Vitali Klitschko 27th fight, was on his second defense of the WBO title
Wlad Klitschko 27th fight, fought for the WBC International HW Title
Kubrat Pulev 17th fight, won regional HW titles
Tomasz Adamek 27th fight, won regional CW titles
David Haye 27th fight, fought Wlad
Alexander Povetkin 25th fight, 3rd defense of WBA title
Tony Thompson 27th fight, fought for state title
Tyson Fury 20th fight, fought HW Eliminator
Odlanier Solis 19th fight, won regional HW title (already fought a Klitschko)
Robert Helenius 18th fight, already fought for and defended, multiple regional titles
Johnathon Banks 27th fight, fighting for regional HW title
Steve Cunningham 27th fight, fighting for CW title
The only one that had not done more by this point in their career is Tony Thompson, not only is that debatable, but he also doesn’t have the pull in marketing the Wilder has available.
The one thought running through this entire thread is that Thompson needs to fight better opponents.
He says 2013 is going to be his break out year, if he is serious he needs to take a chance once in a while against quality heavyweights.
Wilder also needs to fill out his frame, he’s 6’7 and was 228 his last bout. I want to see him stretched the distance vs someone good or KO someone who has been prooven to have a rock solid chin. He’s got a lot of “classes to take” (how he takes a punch, how’s his defense, how’s his stamina, can he get off the deck and win, can he KO late when he has to, does his power carry in the later rounds, does he have a “plan B”, etc) as it were to show he’s ready for the big boys. Moving him up too quickly could result in him being the next Michael Grant.
Swap out the name Chavez for American Heavyweight and is there really a difference?[/QUOTE]
People knock Grant a lot but 48-4-0 isn’t bad.
As far as wilder goes, I’ve watched a lot of his fights recently. Wlad, Haye or Vitali stop everybody he’s fought and faster.
He is very unpolished. He’ll never step up.
He needs to fight a couple of live bodies and then challenge the WBA champion. Manuel Charr, Kevin Johnson or even the faded Frans Botha would be something.
Other than Tyson Fury, Tony Thompson, and perhaps Steve Cunningham all those guys had extensive amateur boxing records.
You say he will “die on the vine” but you don’t want to ask a bunch of questions of the fighter all at once because that is how you lose confidence, create doubt, and shatter a fighter. He needs more rounds, he needs better opponents, he needs to fight dangerous fighters and slick boxers…but also with the shape the division is in right now it’s hard to find guys who fit the bill to ask a bunch of questions of Wilder. Who is a slick boxer who has the chin to last with Wilder? Who’s a big puncher that will test Wilder? Who will work Wilder hard over 10 rounds and tell us how much stamina he has?
I think a guy like Ruslan Chagaev should be on the list SOON, but not right yet.
Other than Tyson Fury, Tony Thompson, and perhaps Steve Cunningham all those guys had extensive amateur boxing records.
You say he will “die on the vine” but you don’t want to ask a bunch of questions of the fighter all at once because that is how you lose confidence, create doubt, and shatter a fighter. He needs more rounds, he needs better opponents, he needs to fight dangerous fighters and slick boxers…but also with the shape the division is in right now it’s hard to find guys who fit the bill to ask a bunch of questions of Wilder. Who is a slick boxer who has the chin to last with Wilder? Who’s a big puncher that will test Wilder? Who will work Wilder hard over 10 rounds and tell us how much stamina he has?
I think a guy like Ruslan Chagaev should be on the list SOON, but not right yet.[/QUOTE]
I don’t really care if he goes 10 rounds against a slick boxer, I want to know if there is anything there besides a big punch.
Can he take a decent punch? What does he do when things aren’t going his way? Is he just awkward or truely green and crude?
No more BS, show us something, 27 fights is enough, shit or get off the pot.
Make us proud or disappoint us, but make some noise in the heavyweight division.
I think Wilder is in danger of doing the exact opposite and being far too over confident knocking out a truck load of part time day laborers. I’m all for cocky and self confidence but with the one way traffic he has been spoon fed he is lacking self awareness as far as trial and error in the ring. He was actually calling himself a world heavyweight champion holding up that dime store trinket he won after ko’ing a part time b ball player his last fight. In a weird way I think he’s suffering a bit of over exposure against mediocre. It’s not rocket science, just step up and his people need to stop over thinking it and packaging him or he’s in danger of coming apart once he finally does on a much much more visible stage. I honestly have more appreciation for a guy, say a Price, who jumps in and finds himself, good or bad in long run, than a guy who sits on the sidelines and from the stands. The division is in a subtle swing with alot of mid level types and future hopefuls mixing it up. Deontay better stand up and be counted or it very well could pass him buy. You ain’t backing a cake son, get in there.
Other than Tyson Fury, Tony Thompson, and perhaps Steve Cunningham all those guys had extensive amateur boxing records.
You say he will “die on the vine” but you don’t want to ask a bunch of questions of the fighter all at once because that is how you lose confidence, create doubt, and shatter a fighter. He needs more rounds, he needs better opponents, he needs to fight dangerous fighters and slick boxers…but also with the shape the division is in right now it’s hard to find guys who fit the bill to ask a bunch of questions of Wilder. Who is a slick boxer who has the chin to last with Wilder? Who’s a big puncher that will test Wilder? Who will work Wilder hard over 10 rounds and tell us how much stamina he has?
I think a guy like Ruslan Chagaev should be on the list SOON, but not right yet.[/QUOTE]
You start out saying it’s fine fighting garbage because something something feelings. This is boxing, no chances = no meaning to a career. Then you come back and agree with what I said in the unquoted post.
If he gets a tough fight and loses, move on keep fighting. Look at Arreola for example he took his beating and came back more serious. If he can’t take a loss what’s the point, this shiny no loss record bullshit is a problem in pro boxing it just means, GOOD fights aren’t being made.