(Photo credit: Sumio Yamada) By Scott Gilfoid: Newly crowned WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne is in a situation where he’s expected to fight his WBC mandatory challenger Deontay Wilder (31-0, 31 KO’s) next rather than Stiverne taking an optional title defense. His promoter Don King was talking about Stiverne taking an optional title defense for his next fight. However, the WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman made it clear on the WBC’s website that Stiverne must face Deontay next.
The question is will Stiverne ignore the WBC and take an optional title defense next in a move that would essentially be daring the WBC to strip him or will he follow what they’re saying and face the dangerous 6’7” Deontay next?
“The agreements must be respected. We made that decision at the last convention and Deontay Wilder is the mandatory challenger,” Sulaiman said. “So Bermane Stiverne has to face him first.”
IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has let it be known that he really wants to fight Stiverne next, but it doesn’t look like the feeling is mutual. Stiverne hasn’t said a word about wanting to fight Wladimir, and you would have to suspect that he doesn’t fancy the idea of fighting him given his size, speed, and experience and power advantage. Stiverne can punch, but he doesn’t have the kind of punching power that Wladimir has with his different assortment of punches in his arsenal.
If Stiverne does decide to blow off the WBC ordered fight against Deontay to fight an optional title defense, it’s going to be interesting to see who Stiverne winds up fighting. It’ll also be interesting to see if the World Boxing Council let’s him get away with it. Will they strip him or simply let it go? That’s the magic question.
Stiverne might as well take the fight with Deontay, because it’s not as if he could avoid the fight. Even if Stiverne were to take an optional title defense without being stripped of his title by the WBC, he’s still going to need to fight Deontay eventually because it’s not as if he’ll lose interest in just go away. Deontay will be there waiting for Stiverne as soon as his optional title defense is over, and he’ll be in the same situation he’s in now with a dangerous opponent waiting for him.
Comments are closed.