Wilder wants Fury, Joshua
Deontay Wilder is the heavyweight champion of the world, with a perfect record, and there is a great chance you had no clue about either fact.
Last week, Wilder spoke to the juniors and seniors of Arlington Bowie High School in Texas in its auditorium, and one young man was so excited at the champ’s arrival he slept through most of his speech. The kid was dead asleep even though he was sitting in the second row, and Wilder’s speech was loud enough to be heard outside of the auditorium.
That’s how far boxing has fallen in the United States.
‘‘I want to bring it back to the golden days of boxing,’’ Wilder said following his speech. ‘‘It has not been back since 2004 with Lennox Lewis. Everyone knows that as the heavyweight division goes, so goes boxing.’’
A boxer saying he wants to ‘‘bring back the golden days of boxing’’ feels like a phone manufacturer who wants to bring back the beeper.
Wilder is 40-0-1 in his career, and said he will fight Tyson Fury this year. And then he wants Anthony Joshua.
Don’t worry that you are not totally familiar with either name. They’re both Brits. Just know that both fights are good for boxing, because both are fights you would want to watch.
‘‘We still have a bit more to go but the fight is definitely going to happen,’’ Wilder said of his rematch with Fury. ‘‘It should be announced very, very soon. The only reason it would not is if their side backs out. As of today, everything is 100 per cent ready to go.’’
Boxing needs more of Deontay Wilder versus Tyson Fury, and less of Floyd Mayweather versus Spare Bum in Southeast Asia at 2 am (US time) or Manny Pacquiao versus Old Washed Up Guy Looking For a Cheque.
For those of you who did watch, Wilder’s first fight with Fury in December, 2018, was exactly what boxing needs. The fight went 12 rounds, and Wilder knocked Fury down twice.
Ultimately, the fight was a split decision.
A sequel to Wilder/Fury is good for the sport.
If Wilder wins, Joshua needs to be his next opponent.
Wilder is not a classic heavyweight fighter – he’s a bit of a wild swinger – but he has consistently shown he will fight anyone. And he has yet to lose. After 40 fights, that has to be worth something.
‘‘I am willing to fight him. This is not us; they know what we want,’’ Wilder said. ‘‘If we can’t come to agreement there will be no fight. I’m moving on with my career. I can’t wait around.
‘‘The world knows I tried [to fight Joshua],’’ Wilder said. ‘‘They are trying to milk the people in the United Kingdom. But after the next fight, I’m willing and I am ready.’’
That is some quality, oldschool boxing trash talking and woofing.
People who follow boxing will watch any weight class, but the only way everyone watches boxing is if it’s a heavyweight. The only way people in America watch heavyweight boxing is if he is an American.
The heavyweight division, in the US, has been dead since around the time Evander Holyfield lost a chunk of his ear to Mike Tyson.
Those are the last two American heavyweights that the American public knew on sight.
Wilder is not Iron Mike or Holyfield, but he gets why people are drawn to the sport.
‘‘The heavyweight division is the most serious division because of the power. The repercussions of a punch,’’ he said. ‘‘The head is not meant to be hit in the first place. You are crazy to sign up to do this.
‘‘I am a knockout artist and that’s why people come to watch a fight. They want to see knockouts. I know how to knock anyone out.’’
He has, 39 times.