Deontay Wilder Closer to Razor’s Edge than Expected in Match with Artur Szpilka

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By Jesse “New School” Wright

“Every battle is won or lost before it is fought.” When WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder, 35-0 34 KO’s got into an altercation with challenger Artur Szpilka, 20-1 1KO’s during a photoshoot at 4 World Trade Center in New York, Szpilka seemed to be the guy to win the battle. Szpilka certainly did not carry himself like the stay busy opponent that many portrayed him as. After being pulled away from an aggressive shoving match with Wilder, Szpilka emotionally screamed out “You’re going f$%*ing down!” with a tone of conviction reserved for religious leaders. That isn’t the behavior of a guy who’s just looking to collect a check; Szpilka is dead serious about this fight. If his behavior is any indicator of how the fight will go, there may be some rich folks in Vegas after all is said and done this Saturday.

Wilder is a phenomenal athlete with physical attributes that many would kill for. What he lacks is the in ring experience required in order to develop in to a complete fighter. Just on raw talent alone, he has torn up quite a few opponents. To this point however, he still has not fought a serious enough level of competition to demonstrate that he is a top tier heavyweight. What raises more doubt about Wilder is how he performed in his last three fights against just moderate fighters. He did win, but not with the sensational early round stoppages that have made him so appealing.

On the other hand, we have Szpilka. Although he is not anywhere near being elite, he is sound fundamentally and has a fairly strong defensive foundation. His one loss was to an established fighter in Bryant Jennings, 19-2 10 KO’s. It should be noted that due to issues with his Visa, Szpilka only had three days to settle in and overcome jet lag when he arrived in the U.S. from Poland. He’s a smart enough fighter to not be baited in to exchanges with Wilder. He will maintain his distance and force Wilder to box. Wilder is puncher. For all of the power he brings, his footwork is sloppy and his punches aren’t precise enough to outbox Szpilka.

Wilder’s best chance of winning will be with a knockout. Szpilka has been knocked down by lesser punchers than Wilder as was shown in his second fight with Mike Mollo, 20-5-1 12 KO’s. Don’t be surprised if Szpilka sets traps for Wilder by working angles and deceiving him with fainted jabs followed with effective power punches. When Wilder gets in range he will either circle out or clinch with him. If Wilder does not find the power punches to hurt Szpilka, he will run the risk of being outsmarted by a guy with a stronger ring IQ. Szpilka might know something the rest of us don’t and for good reason. He already won this fight in his mind and there’s a good chance wins on Saturday as well.

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