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Deontay Wilder – Bermane Stiverne: Is it Just Me Or Does it Scream that the FIX Might have Been IN?

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Bermane-Stiverne-Deontay-Wilder-weigh-in-fukudaBy “Big” Bill Bradshaw

So the world has a new champion, boxing has a new star and America, once again, has the WBC World Heavyweight Title belt in its grasp. The man who would be king finally underwent his coronation and the caretaker keeper limped away bruised and battered. But, the question remains, how good is Deontay Wilder and what threat, if any, does he pose to the acknowledged heavyweight king, “Dr Steelhammer”, Wladimir Klitschko? To answer that, I will take you back to December 1995 when Frans Botha shared the ring with Axel Shulz in a bout that would decide the fate of the vacant IBF Heavyweight title.

Botha won the fight and was later stripped of the belt having tested positive for steroids but, for those of us who endured watching that truly awful bout, Botha was installed as champion albeit for a short time. It was an era when the division was devoid of a great fighter and guys like Shulz and Botha were afforded opportunities that would see such men considered as championship material. I remember thinking that Botha was the most limited boxer I’d ever seen raising a title belt above his head. I thought it was more than just a dark moment in the history of the division. For someone who had followed the great fighters and the brilliant fights, it was quite simply a sad night. It’s been 20 years since that night and I regret to say that I turned off the TV after Wilder Vs Stiverne with that same feeling of loss.

I had been a fan of Wilder’s from early in his career and I had told everyone who would listen that a “Bronze Bomber” was coming who would set the dormant heavyweight division on fire. I had become weary of him when it became clear he was avoiding ‘meaningful’ fights but I was glad that he had this opportunity to prove me and others like me that he really did have the goods. Much and all as I liked the well mannered and amiable Stiverne, I never saw him as a legitimate threat to Klitschko and, if the fire was to burn once more in the belly of the beast that was heavyweight boxing, the spark would come from a contender who would drag “Dr Steelhammer” into a brawl that would bring the best out in both fighters. I wanted Wilder to explode onto the world scene against Stiverne but I felt the champion would have the experience to nullify his power.

What we got was a mind numbingly boring fight that saw Stiverne easily walk through Wilder’s jab but, incredibly, he had absolutely no strategy in place when he got within striking distance. On the other hand, we had Wilder whose lack of creativity saw a yawn inducing evening of jabs and single right crosses with the pattern being broken occasionally by wild swinging punches and a cry to the world that he desperately needed an operating manual for an uppercut. To make matters even more laughable, both ‘fighters’ engaged in conversation throughout the bout but, rather than goading each other into an actual scrap, I suspect they discussed the holidays and recipes for Christmas pudding. Wilder seemed more assured so I’d guess that his cake tasted best. I certainly hope that their baking skills were better than their boxing abilities or, shocking though it may seem, Christmas may actually have been a more disappointing affair than this sham of a title fight. It was nothing short of dire and I pray we never have to endure such a night again. That this plodding session occurred on Muhammad Ali’s birthday is a terrible indictment of just how far the mighty have fallen.

I think Wilder should defend his plastic title against Tyson Fury next. Limited as Wilder is, Fury is a circus act and, between them they could restore the great days of the big top when men in red noses honked horns and made children laugh. Wladimir Klitschko will go untested and, were it not for the greed of grimy promoters; Steelhammer could fold these two guys over on the same night and put an end to the carnival that surrounds them. The brothers from the Ukraine are a testament to the brilliance of Emanuel Steward who forged their metal and, if the rise of Deontay Wilder stands to highlight anything, it’s that the thread of a once great era still weaves its magic in the guise of Wladimir. Wilder’s win will have made him happy. The drums are beating for the biggest heavyweight showdown in many years and Klitschko’s accountant will have popped the bubbly just as soon as his howls of laughter died out at the end of the comedy that was Wilder vs Stiverne.

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