You really can’t judge a boxer until his career is all said and done.  Before Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) beat Sonny Liston in 1964, most people wouldn’t have guessed that he would go on to be “The Greatest.”  Bernard Hopkins wasn’t considered a future Hall of Famer till he defeated Felix Trinidad.  And it wasn’t until the later part of his career, after many years in the trenches, that the public began to give Lennox Lewis his just due.  Now, I’m not about to put Deontay Wilder in the same category as those guys just yet, but hear me out on this one.  When I first became aware of Wilder, he was about 27-0 with 27 knockouts.  My first thought was that he was probably an overhyped fighter with a padded record.  When he beat Bermane Stiverne over twelve rounds for the WBC title, I was impressed that he went the distance effectively, given the fact that he had never gone past four rounds before.  Watching him struggle with Artur Szpilka, I could see his limitations, as well as his deadly power.  Against Luis Ortiz, his fundamental flaws were once again revealed, but he responded to the situation with a strong will to win.  Tyson Fury handled Wilder with relative ease, but Wilder retaliated by knocking him down twice.  In twenty years, I think people will look back and say that Wilder was that heavyweight champion who could be out-boxed by an ordinary fighter, but it was just a matter of time before he caught them.

 

A lot of boxing people are critical of Wilder’s technique, because he throws wild punches and because he can’t seem to solve even the simplest puzzle in front of him.  I’m sure a lot of trainers look at what they see and believe they could improve his boxing abilities.  But it might be that the way he fights is what’s best for him.  If he took a more patient and scientific approach, he might not be as effective as he is.  Maybe his faults are a blessing in disguise?  Based on everything I’ve seen, I give him the benefit of the doubt.  These knockouts aren’t happening by accident.  Before last weekend, he said he was going to take care of business with Dominic Breazeale in dramatic fashion and that’s exactly what he did.  Deontay Wilder seems to me like a man who has control of his destiny.  His record is now 41-0-1, 40 KOs, and he does it all with power and spirit.  I must say that I’m a big fan.  He’s exactly the kind of guy who can bring heavyweight boxing back.  I don’t like the showboating or some of the comments he makes, but when it comes down to it, I think he’s a decent person outside the ring.

 

Wilder has made such a strong impression that people are comparing him to heavyweight champions of the past.  While he has yet to cement his legacy as a great heavyweight champion, he can’t be completely discredited when these discussions come up.  Deontay Wilder vs. Mike Tyson would be a fearsome fight for as long as it lasted.  It’s easy to say that Tyson would tear him up, but we don’t know that for sure.  At this point, you have to figure that Lennox Lewis would beat Wilder, though he would have to be very careful.  What about Wilder against Wladimir Klitschko?  Klitschko was a more skillful and intelligent fighter, but Wilder has a much stronger hunger for combat.  These would all be great matchups.  The fight I’m dying to see, like everyone else, is Deontay Wilder vs Anthony Joshua.  As much praise as I give Wilder, I would still favor Joshua to win.  At some point, Wilder’s attributes won’t be enough to make the difference in a close fight.  My opinion is that Joshua has enough skills and experience to come out on top, but it’s not a forgone conclusion.  Anything could happen in that fight. 

 

I’m a fan of the sweet science, and I admire fighters who can hit and not get hit, but I also love drama.  Deontay Wilder brings drama and he’s great for boxing.  He’s a gladiator in the purest sense, and it’s fighters like him that drew me to this sport.

 

Doveed Linder is the author of RINGSIDE: INTERVIEWS WITH 24 FIGHTERS AND BOXING INSIDERS, a trilogy of books, each consisting of 24 in depth interviews with various fighters, trainers, corner men, promoters, commentators, and officials, including “Sugar” Ray Leonard, Roy Jones, Jr., Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Kathy Duva, Angelo Dundee, Bob Arum, Emanuel Steward, Larry Merchant, Lou DiBella, Ann Wolfe, Joe Souza, J Russell Peltz, Gerry Cooney, Leon Spinks, Al Bernstein, Naazim Richardson, Harold Lederman, George Chuvalo, Steve Smoger, Winky Wright, Ronnie Shields, Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Duane Ford, and Jackie Kallen.  The foreword for the first RINGSIDE book was written by Boxingtalk publisher Greg Leon, and is available on Amazon.com.