De La Hoya very impressed with Deontay Wilder, says he reminds him of Hearns

By Boxing News - 08/16/2012 - Comments

Image: De La Hoya very impressed with Deontay Wilder, says he reminds him of HearnsBy Scott Gilfoid: Oscar De La Hoya is really impressed with what he’s seen of unbeaten American heavyweight Deontay Wilder (24-0, 24 KO’s) in the four short years that Wilder has been in the pro game, and De La Hoya sees him as a future world champion within a short period of time.

De La Hoya said to RingTV “I’m telling you this guy reminds me of a heavyweight Thomas Hearns. I mean, he cracks you with that right hand and it’s over. And the way he’s popping his jab. This guy is popping his jab out like he’s a lightweight.”

So true, so true. Wilder’s right hand power does remind me of a heavyweight version of Hearns. For boxing fans who don’t have much of a memory of Hearns’ one punch power when he fought at welterweight, I’d suggest you take a look at some of Hearns’ old fights on Youtube so that you all can see how awesome Hearns’ power was when he was fighting at that weight. Wilder is the heavyweight equivalent with his huge right and his incredible athleticism. Where Wilder and Hearns differ is in the chin department. Wilder has a nice chin and has yet to be hurt at the pro level. He can take a good shot and keep coming forward. Wilder’s chin will likely never be a problem for him because his power is so good that he destroys pretty much all of his opposition inside four rounds. It’s rare that anyone gets to the 4th round against Wilder because of his concussive power in his right hand.

In his last fight, Wilder destroyed Kertson Manswell in the 1st round earlier this month. Wilder used both his right and his left hand to blast out Manswell in short order, making it look easy against this fine fighter. Believe me, Manswell is a good fighter with a solid chin, but Wilder still destroyed him and made it look easy.



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