Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne square off in a heavyweight clash with big connotations in Las Vegas this weekend. As if there isn’t enough at stake with Stiverne’s WBC world title on the line, undefeated Wilder is set on upping the ante even more.
Alabama’s “Bronze Bomber” is certainly talking the talk to make sure that eyes are on him as he tries to get his hands on his first major belt. Although he has the WBC Continental Americas crown, it holds nowhere near the prestige of the belt his opponent brings to the table on Saturday. For Wilder, he sees it as his next step on the ladder to greatness and a way to open doors to the other big accolades.
“I see me ending this by knockout,” he says, right on cue. At 32-0 and with 32 finishes he is a YouTube reel’s dream. He should surely feature on a highlights package for any year and he has every right to be confident, although industry experts have called into question the level of his opposition to this point. It’s true that he’s yet to test himself against the real challenges in the heavyweight division, Malik Scott aside, but Stiverne should do just that on Saturday.
The more reserved Canadian won’t let Wilder get into his head, but he does come into his own title defence as on underdog, 6/4 on betfair’s boxing odds. Wilder is a comfortable 8/15, but when you have a fighter that has yet to see a fifth round, it’s hard to judge just how he’ll react when he has an opponent that won’t go away quite as easily. Stiverne has been stopped just once in his 26 professional fights, and has 21 knockouts of his own.
Both men have the track records to show that they hit hard and put people away. Really, the winner is looking towards Wladimir Klitschko and the weight of championship metal he carries around. It’s Wilder that is touted as the next big thing but there’s every chance this could be a banana skin if he doesn’t take ‘B. Ware’ seriously.
There’s a future as a great at stake, a future as world champion. Both men will want it and can use their fists to get it – that’s what makes Saturday night such an enticing battle in a somewhat tepid heavyweight division.