Deontay Wilder Vs Anthony Joshua: A Closer Look at a Heavyweight Championship Fight Boxing Needs!

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By Vinny “Glory Days” Lucci

With the dominating decade of Wladimir Klitschko unwinding in a freefall and abruptly coming to an end at the hands of lightly regarded Tyson Fury, the boxing fraternity has taken on high hopes of the speculation that the new generation of big men will again capture the imagination of the public, long lost with the retirement of Lennox Lewis.

Enter its two of the most foreboding champions, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, heavyweights who loom large on the landscape as finely chiseled masters of mayhem, with a combined record of 54 and 0, with 53 knockouts. Unfortunately, they don’t rule over a diversified division of talent like we witnessed in the Ali and Lewis eras.

WBC champion Wilder, coming off last month’s defense over sturdy but limited Chris Arreola, when their fight came to an abrupt and predictable ending in eighth round. The post-fight interview found Wilder jovial as ever displaying his war wounds for the cameras, a grotesquely broken right hand and painfully torn right bicep. Both injuries were reported to have commenced in fourth round when he dropped Arreola to the canvas. Corrective surgeries already in place, the champ has now suffered at least three reported stress fractures in his power hand, and again has had pins surgically implanted to stabilize the impact of his punch from imploding metacarpal damage. Deontay no doubt out of action for the remainder of 2016, has publicly welcomed the challenge of IBF champion Anthony Joshua in 2017.

Joshua ran his record to a perfect 17 and 0, 17 knockouts this past June against Dominic Breazeale with a predictable seventh round stoppage of his own. While both men notched successful defenses to their ledgers, Wilder hardly came out unscathed, and it was not at the hands so of his challenger that inflicted the damage. It’s at this time and juncture to examine why this may hardly be the anticipated clash of titans that fans are wishing for.

How they stack up to mere mortals, one can only gawk in awe at Wilder’s 6’7” inch physique, huge shoulders balanced on athletic 215 pound frame. No less intimidating, Joshua stands, 6’6”, with a Herculean build of 234 pounds of tightly packed muscle. Deontay holds the same slight reach advantage of one inch, as he does in height. While both men possess heavy hands, all similarities end here. Joshua, at 26 is still developing and coming into his own, and while only having turned pro in 2013, is already head and shoulders a far more complete boxer than it appears Wilder will ever be. Having amassed his spectacular knockout percentage, much can be said of Wilder’s resume. Before facing Bermane Stiverne for the title, his record was littered with obscure names in which he was not only meant to look good, but also learn his trade.

“Bronze Bomber” so over powered his inferior opponents that his amateurish habits were never addressed, or corrected. Starting with a dangerously low guard from the opening bell, Wilder has enjoyed being able to negate transgressors because of his naturally blessed gifts of height and reach. His telephone pole jab which he doesn’t double up with much frequency, has enabled him to set the tone and pace for every bout. To the fans eye, audiences have been swept away in the tide of celebration that a new Foreman walks the earth. What they are missing are all the telltale signs that eight years as a pro, Wilder has not matured as boxer. With four title defenses under his belt at thirty years of age, it may simply be too late to correct the faults that are waiting to be exposed. Deontay leads with his chin, and rarely has it tucked to his chest.

Complimenting his precarious guard, it is an inviting target for a man of equal height and reach. His defense is porous, relying on his foes inability to reach him. His right leg is always displayed too far behind him, suggesting poor balance while coming forward. Not in the vain in which Ken Norton dragged a right leg behind himself, but incredibly flat footed none the less, preventing lateral movement as well as being able to dish out punishment on the balls of his feet.

Add to the mix that his punching technique is not advantageous for a prosperous career. It has been said by his team that he simply hits harder than a human hand can endure, but that is more likely based on his lack of turning his power punches over on contact. Little can be said of his hook or his ability to shorten the range on any of his punches. While he entertained ringsiders with several uppercuts in his last defense, one cannot lose sight of who his limited adversary was that night. Deontay is not effective in the pocket, and his game is outside where his God given gifts give him range to execute his power. In theory, take away his jab and get inside the pocket and you reduce him to a courageous, but terribly limited fighter. Time and time again, we have witnessed how poorly he executes a decisive combination to finish a foe, once he has staggered one from ring center. His all-out panic rushes to overwhelm his foes are reminiscent of two middle schoolers brawling in a playground, and against a well-balanced, smooth boxing power puncher, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Joshua who tends to neglect body shots, is still a more disciplined complete fighter than Wilder. He closes the gap quickly finding the range for his jab, while testing the precision of his right hand. While this would be Wilder’s complete battle plan, Joshua uses head feints, counter punches sneaky inside hooks off his left jab and can smoothly slide to either side of pocket while throwing his power punches with greater accuracy than Wilder. His uppercuts are never telegraphed or left open to debate. Both feet are always planted beneath his shoulders, allowing him exceptional balance for a heavyweight. His guard ever held high and tight. Based on his caliber of opposition, it’s fair to say the intangibles of heart and chin are equal, while neither has had their stamina severely tested.

Assuming the operations to Wilder are successful, he will have his hands full keeping Joshua off him without reinjuring the right hand. Picture fight night, perhaps next November, with both titlists entering the ring at slightly “pick-em” odds. Look for Joshua to have greater success in the first moments of the opening bell than Wilder has ever experienced before. When Anthony refuses to give ground, Wilder must have more in his arsenal than his rebuilt straight right hand. Unable to land it effectively tight inside the pocket, the IBF champion will go steadily to work coming forward taking away his rivals momentum with short left hooks and counter right hands, of the likes of which Wilder has never seen before. Leaning in to smother his ever aggressive foe, it will be Wilder who eats the uppercuts and he won’t be brave or foolish enough to open himself up by throwing any of his own. Joshua will catch and slip enough of Wilder’s punches in first five rounds to slowly sap his power from him while building a lead on score cards.

He can make that even easier by paying more attention to delivering left hook body shots to wear his man down. Wilder too neglects the body, outside of jabbing to chest. By the eighth round, with Wilder fatigued and Joshua clearly in range, they go toe to toe in an all-out battle for supremacy. The accumulation of power shots delivered from a vantage point that he used to own, Wilder will start to break down from lack of defense, mobility and punch selection. Joshua finds, and exploits all of Wilder’s deficiencies by out boxing his man behind his own power, and ending matters before the final bell. In the final analysis, talent wins out, not power.

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