A Closer Look at Five Possible Opponents for WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder
Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder is coming off a sensational eighth- round technical knockout victory over Chris Arreola this past Saturday night in defense of his WBC Heavyweight title. The champion will be sidelined for a few months while trying to heal a broken right hand and a torn bicep muscle that were sustained during the fight. However, the search for his next opponent begins now. Here are the five heavyweight challengers that await an opportunity to fight the “Bronze Bomber” for the championship.
5) Kubrat Pulev, 23-1, 12 KO’s, received a title shot against then-champion Wladimir Klitschko back in November 2014 and was brutally battered, losing by fifth- round knockout. The challenger suffered the first loss of his professional career against Klitschko, but since then has rebounded with three straight victories, which includes a split decision over Dereck Chisora back in May of this year. Currently, the Bulgarian challenger is ranked third by the WBC and is the reigning European Heavyweight champion.
4) Bermane Stiverne, 25-2-1, 21 KO’s, lost his title to Deontay Wilder by unanimous decision back on January 17, 2015 in his first title defense. The Haitian-Canadian professional boxer and a former WBC heavyweight champion is the only heavyweight fighter who has gone the distance with Wilder. Since his loss, he has had a comeback win over Derric Rossy last November. Stiverne is currently ranked second by the WBC and should be given a rematch with the current champion.
3) Alexander Povetkin, 30-1, 22 KO’s, was supposed to challenge titleholder Deontay Wilder in a mandatory bout back on May 21 in Moscow. However, a week before the highly anticipated fight, Povetkin tested positive for the banned drug Meldonium and the fight was called off. Currently, the Russian boxer is still ranked first by the WBC for Wilder’s belt, but whether or not he remains the top contender is still uncertain at this time.
2) Luis “King Kong” Ortiz, 25-0, 22 KO’s, a Cuban defector with enormous amateur experience, is a 6-foot-4, 240-pound southpaw with massive power. In his last his two fights, Ortiz has destroyed Bryant Jennings, who had just previously gone the distance with Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight championship, by seventh- round knockout, and Tony Thompson, a former two-time title challenger, by sixth- round knockout. Ortiz’s next fight is scheduled to be against Russian mandatory challenger Alexander Ustinov,33-1, 24 KO’s, probably on the Sept. 17 HBO PPV card headlined by Canelo Alvarez Vs Liam Smith. Currently, “King Kong” is the interim WBA Heavyweight champion and is not ranked by the WBC. However, this is a matchmaker’s dream fight and one that fans are craving right now.
1) Anthony Joshua,17-0,17 KO’s, the 2012 Olympic super heavyweight gold medal winner for Great Britain, has decimated his first 17 opponents, including a second-round knockout victory over Charles Martin on April 9th to win the IBF Heavyweight championship belt. On July 25, Joshua made his first defense, looking fantastic in knocking out undefeated contender Dominic Breazeale in the seventh- round. Critics still say that Joshua still needs more experience against better opponents, but he has a chance to become one of boxing’s biggest stars of this era. Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder are the future of the heavyweight division and could be in line for one big showdown in the near future.
Obviously, the “Bronze Bomber” would love to take on the winner of the Tyson Fury-Wladimir Klitschko rematch, which has been rescheduled to take place in Germany on November 28, but this seems unlikely for a while. Deontay Wilder has proven that he wants to be a fighting champion, so he is very likely to be back in the ring quickly after his injuries heal up. The future of the heavyweight division looks very bright, and the list of contenders for the American champion is just starting to grow.
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