.jpg)
It’s four days before a Deontay Wilder fight. (photo by Ryan Hafey)
But it doesn’t sound the same.
By this point in the fight-selling process the “Bronze Bomber” has usually issued an inappropriately chilling threat, suggested rendering an opponent lifeless wouldn’t cause him to lose sleep, or at the very least proclaimed himself well on his way to undisputed heavyweight domination.
This time around, though, not so much.
Some have surmised a quiet Wilder means a rededicated and refocused Wilder, two descriptions he’ll surely need to have any hope of reversing the result of a TKO loss to Tyson Fury.
In case you’ve forgotten, that’s the fight in which Wilder lost nearly every moment of every round, was dropped twice and ultimately saved from further damage when trainer Mark Breland tossed a towel.
The surrender came 14 months after he and Fury met the first time in Los Angeles and Wilder scored two knockdowns, the latter on a dramatic final-round combination that was enough to get him a charitable majority draw thanks to a timely 10-8 round from judge Phil Edwards.
Fury, in fact, became the first foe to survive a full-on Wilder onslaught. He not only rose from the late knockdown, but evaded the then-champion’s amateurish follow-up of looping right hands and was able to recover and land shots of his own that had Wilder wobbled and reeling at the final bell.
The two fights aptly illustrated Wilder’s need for further schooling.
The remedy of choice for Team Wilder? Fire Breland.
The lead corner role will be handled by veteran colleague, good friend and former foe in Malik Scott. That’s apparently in spite of offers to work with Wilder in the aftermath of Fury II that came from fellow ex-champs George Foreman and Larry Holmes, two-time title challenger Gerry Cooney and consensus pound-for-pound elite Floyd Mayweather Jr.
As much as I admire Wilder’s loyalty, I question his judgement.
Though his Olympic bronze medal and five-year, 10-defense run as WBC champion conceivably validate whatever approach the fighter chooses, it would have made sense – given the comprehensive nature of the beatdown Fury administered – that he broaden his horizons beyond that of familiar yes men.
For all the highlight-reel success he’s had with Scott and the other lingering entourage members, Wilder in many ways remains the same fighter he’s been since early in his career. A dynamic athlete with a pterodactyl wingspan who relies almost exclusively on his ability to land fight-defining punches.
It worked against the likes of Eric Molina, Bermane Stiverne and Artur Szpilka, among others, but the first time he encountered an opponent with the wherewithal to survive the storm, he was doomed.
Which is exactly why a change is needed before he faces the same boogeyman again.
To be fair, Wilder is certainly not the first fighter to fall head over heels for his own power. He believes he can just go out and hit a guy to win fights and no one other than Fury has proven him wrong, which will make it awfully hard to dissuade him. Not to mention, he’s a confident world-class athlete who thinks his own talent – which has provided a lot of success for a lot of years — is more than enough.
After all, who knows if anyone else would’ve take the gig? And if anyone did, who knows if it’d be someone Wilder would actually listen to?
But it would’ve behooved him to gauge the interest.
Because Gordon remains skeptical.
“He doesn’t have to be concerned with body punching or inside fighting,” said Randy Gordon, former chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission and SiriusXM radio host. “Just make it about one thing: how to throw the jab. Educate the jab.”
Sadly, the trainer who may have done the most for Wilder is forever unavailable.
Emanuel Steward worked wonders with a gangly Detroit welterweight with a long reach and a huge right hand, then made dominant long-term champions out of a pair of recent heavyweights – Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko – whose most defining characteristics were height, length and power.
Lewis was 6-foot-5 with an 84-inch reach. Klitschko was 6-foot-6 with an 81-inch reach.
They combined for five title reigns and 36 title defenses.
Wilder, by the way, is 6-foot-7 with an 83-inch reach.
“Emanuel would have tried to influence him to stand back, never give away his height and reach advantages, don’t lunge forward, make opponents increase their own vulnerability by coming forward toward his power,” said Jim Lampley, who called Lewis and Klitschko fights on HBO and worked with Steward during the late trainer’s time as an expert analyst. “Taller fighters should stand up and fight tall, bigger fighters should always fight big. That doesn’t appear to be the way Deontay sees it.”
* * * * * * * * * *
This week’s title-fight schedule:
TUESDAY
WBA minimum title — Buriram, Thailand
Thammanoon Niyomtrong (champion/No. 1 IWBR) vs. Siridech Deebook (No. 6 WBA/Unranked IWBR)
Niyomtrong (21-0, 7 KO): Ninth title defense; One KO/TKO win in nine career title fights
Deebook (23-6-1, 13 KO): First title fight; Three victories over fighters with more than eight wins
Fitzbitz says: This is a mismatch. Plain and simple. Niyomtrong is the best fighter in his weight class and his opponent’s last six foes had a combined 24-21-5 record. No problem. Niyomtrong in 10 (99/1)
SATURDAY
IBO light heavyweight title — Magdeburg, Germany
Robin Krasniqi (champion/No. 14 IWBR) vs. Dominic Boesel (No. 9 IBO/No. 15 IWBR)
Krasniqi (51-6, 19 KO): First title defense; Lost first two title fights before winning in 2020
Boesel (31-2, 12 KO): Third title fight (1-1); Held IBO title in 2019-20 (lost in first title defense)
Fitzbitz says: I liked Boesel in the first fight and I was surprised when he got beat. I like him again and I think Boesel has what it takes to get over the defeat and win the rematch. Boesel by decision (65/35)
WBC heavyweight title – Las Vegas, Nevada
Tyson Fury (champion/No. 1 IWBR) vs. Deontay Wilder (No. 1 WBC/No. 5 IWBR)
Fury (30-0-1, 21 KO): First title defense; Won IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO titles in 2015 (zero defenses)
Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KO): Thirteenth title fight (10-1-1); Held WBC title from 2015-20 (10 defenses)
Fitzbitz says: The Fury win in the second fight was so comprehensive that it’s difficult to envision it changing back to a Wilder win in the third bout. Here’s a clue, it won’t happen. Fury in 8 (99/1)
Last week’s picks: None
2021 picks record: 31-12 (72.0 percent)
Overall picks record: 1,187-387 (75.4 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body’s full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA “world championships” are only included if no “super champion” exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.