Deontay Wilder vs. Bermane Stiverne negotiations have hit a snag

By Boxing News - 09/03/2014 - Comments

deontay533By Scott Gilfoid: It’s looking like the negotiations between WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs) and his #1 WBC mandatory challenger Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs) have reached a sticking point over the location for the fight. According to RDS, Stiverne’s promoter Camile Estephan wants the Wilder-Stiverne fight to take place in Montreal, Canada, but Deontay doesn’t want the fight to take place there.

If the two sides are unable to negotiate the fight, then it’ll go to purse bids on September 12th. From there it’ll be whoever has the deepest pockets to win the bid. Deontay is backed by the powerhouse promotional company Golden Boy.

Deontay hasn’t said where in particular he’d like the fight to take place, but you’ve got to assume that he’d like it to be someplace in the U.S like Las Vegas, Nevada or in New York. Deontay’s fan base is in the U.S, not in Canada.

If the fight takes place in Canada then it’ll difficult for Deontay’s fans to make it to the fight due to the long travel involved.

The chances are pretty high that the Deontay vs. Stiverne fight is going to end by a knockout, either way you look at it. Either Deontay is going to knock Stiverne out or Stiverne is going to knock him out. I don’t see this fight going to the cards, and I don’t believe the crowd is going to play any part in the fight other than cheering a lot each time one of them swings a shot.

If the fight were to be staged in Montreal, Stiverne might get a little more fan applause when he throws a punch, but I don’t see this as having any real effect on the outcome. Deontay has Olympic experience, and he’s used to fighting in front of foreign crowds who aren’t cheering for him.

Stiverne is going to need to prove that he can take Deontay’s right hand power shots, because it’s going to be the 6’7” Deontay who lands most of the shots in this fight in the early rounds. The only way Stiverne will land anything is if the fight goes into the second half of the fight and Deontay fades. Stiverne will have to take a lot of right hands to the head before the fight goes into the second half, and it wouldn’t be surprised if Stiverne is too punch drunk by then to mount any kind of attack.



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