Audley: Deontay will be an interesting puzzle for me

By Boxing News - 04/24/2013 - Comments

wilder34By Scott Gilfoid: British heavyweight Audley Harrison (31-6, 23 KO’s) figures that a win over unbeaten American heavyweight Deontay Wilder (27-0, 27 KO’s) this Saturday night will put him in contention for a title shot against one of the Klitschko brothers. As of now, Audley doesn’t have a top 15 ranking by any of the sanctioning bodies.

The 41-year-old Audley is not favored to beat the 6’7” Wilder on Saturday.

Audley said to Sky Sports News “I was looking for someone in the top 10 and so I couldn’t ask for anyone better than America’s next big thing…he is going to be an interesting puzzle for me to figure out…I have to figure out a way to get through that power; he has that big right hand.”

I can’t think of a more dangerous opponent for the fragile-chinned Audley than Deontay. If you though Audley had it bad in his crushing defeats at the hands of the cruiserweight sized David Haye or the painfully stiff David Price, then watch what happens to Audley on Saturday night when he faces more powerful version of those two fighters.

Frankly, I’ll be surprised if Audley makes it out of the 1st round. The only way Audley will survive the 1st round is if he runs and doesn’t throw anything back at Deontay, because believe me if Audley shows any kind of offense in the 1st round, he’s going to get knocked out. That’s the pattern for Deontay’s fights.

If he has an opponent that is just looking to save his hide by running, then Deontay takes his time and waits at least until the 2nd round before he knocks them out, but for guys that come at him in the 1st round, he knocks them out immediately. Deontay is like a young George Foreman in that respect.

Audley seems to think that a victory over Wilder will lead to him getting a title shot. I hate to be the one to break this to the aging fighter, but a win over Wilder won’t get Audley a title shot. It may get him a top 15 ranking, but Wladimir and/or Vitali Klitschko won’t bother facing Audley until he becomes the mandatory challenger and for him to do that he’d have to beat a lot more guys that just Deontay.



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