WHAT IT’S REALLY LIKE TO BE PUNCHED BY WILDER
These four KO victims recall their batterings by the champ
FORTY fights, 40 wins, 39 stoppages, and the WBC world title to his name.
Deontay Wilder is arguably the most dangerous fighter in the heavyweight division and yet approaching Saturday’s intriguing meeting with Tyson Fury the impression persists that he has never faced a serious test.
Sportsmail spoke to four men who have tried and failed to beat the big American to find out if he is the real deal...
AUDLEY HARRISON OPPONENT No 28, RD 1 KO, 2013, SHEFFIELD
HARD as nails. I had him in camp for sparring a year before we fought and he was over for about five weeks to prepare me for David Price.
He almost had my eye out in sparring one day — he caught me with this shot and it nearly detached my retina and suddenly I had to stop training for eight or nine days.
Aside from the power, Wilder is unique. He is very tall, very fast and very unorthodox in how he moves — you cannot pin him down. He can actually be quite ungainly but he is effective because he has that explosive hand speed.
His punches come at you so fast — when the right hand caught me that ended the fight, I didn’t even see it coming.
The punch came at such an unusual angle and so fast there was no getting out the way.
One thing people don’t usually say about him, and they should, is that his jab is very good. But that right hand is the thing.
Any fight you get knocked out you have a headache the next day and I did after that fight.
It was actually the last fight I had before retiring but I didn’t quit just because I lost.
MALIK SCOTT OPPONENT No 31, RD 1 KO, 2014, PUERTO RICO
DEONTAY is very unorthodox, has huge power, more agility than most and is probably the fastest heavyweight on the planet. And he is mean — really mean.
I have boxed with Deontay for ten years — sparring and in our fight — and his skill is underrated. People don’t want to believe he is this good, but believe me, he is.
When we fought he caught me on the temple with a left hook and then a right, down the middle. People say they weren’t clean hits but he has that power to put you on the ground.
In the ring he is a hard guy to predict. He can box but he can go berserk, go wild, you know.
He goes beyond Mike Tyson in some ways — Tyson would sometimes let someone take a clinch on him and take his time. Deontay doesn’t do that.
He doesn’t let you waste the clock, he gets straight on you, tries to smash you. I remember David Haye saying once when he sparred with Deontay that he had a headache 24 hours later. That’s what his punches do.
Fury is very good. I have shared a ring with him so I will not downgrade him. I worry that he has not been active, though. I make this fight 70-30 to Wilder, and if Wilder fights Anthony Joshua, I’d go Wilder by KO.
JASON GAVERN OPPONENT No 32, RD 4 KO, 2014, CALIFORNIA
I TOOK that fight on only six days’ notice and it was a few months before he fought Bermane Stiverne for the world title, so I think his intention was to get rounds instead of another quick knockout.
He was actually pretty clumsy in his style. He falls in a bit on his punches, his balance isn’t great, so technically he is not right up there. But he had really good range from those long arms and his power makes up for his mistakes.
He got me down a couple of times in that fourth round and I remember thinking he had serious weight in those punches.
I stopped in my corner before the fifth. I have been in camp with Wilder a few times and I am not disputing his power, but I didn’t get too badly banged up by him. I am one of only two guys to have fought Anthony Joshua and Wilder and I would say Joshua was the better fighter of the two — he is more polished, has fought better opponents and hit harder.
I think Wilder has been protected a bit. Fury has been out LIVE exclusively on BT Sport Box Office from 11.30pm on Saturday at £19.95; fight starts around 3.30am. a long time and people write him off. But they never gave him a chance against Wladimir Klitschko, did they?
JOHANN DUHAUPAS OPPONENT No 35, RD 11 KO, 2015, ALABAMA
THIS was my first fight of this level and I was really impressed. I faced a boxer they were selling like the new Mike Tyson, who had knocked out all his opponents, so it was enough to make me hesitate before accepting.
His confidence in himself is his biggest strength. He has a big heart and of course a lot of punch — more than any opponent I’ve ever met in combat or sparring.
There’s no question he is the hardest puncher in the division.
His biggest weakness is his passion. He wants it all so he makes mistakes and exposes himself — he did it against me, Luis Ortiz and Eric Molina, but his power has always saved him.