(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) By Scott Gilfoid: ESPN analyst Teddy Atlas is picking unbeaten heavyweight KO artist Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs) to obliterate WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs) in just one round on Saturday night in their match-up on Showtime at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For Atlas, who is very experienced and intelligent ring analyst, he sees the bigger, quicker, taller and stronger 6’7” Deontay being able to land his big right hand power shots well before Stiverne can in the opening round.
Atlas figures that since Stiverne is a classic counter puncher, it means he’s going to be on the receiving end of Deontay’s right hands before he can even think about trying to land a counter. The problem with getting hit by Deontay is he’s so powerful that Stiverne will lose his senses after getting hit by a small handful of right hands by Deontay. As such, Stiverne won’t be ambulatory when it comes time to try and land a counter.
“One round knockout. Wilder will knock him out,” Atlas said on ESPN. “He punches very hard with his right hand, and Stiverne has been hurt before. I think Wilder with his reach and height will catch Stiverne first. Stiverne will be looking for a counter, but he won’t get a chance on the outside,” Altas said.
I hate to say it but I agree with Atlas here. I think he’s dead on correct in saying that Deontay will get his right hand in first before Stiverne has a chance to land one of his sneaky counters. Further, it’s going to be near impossible for the short-armed Stiverne to be able to land his power shots when the 6’7” Deontay is on the outside.
The only way Stiverne can land a power shot when Deontay is on the outside is if Stiverne charges Deontay like a bull, which is something I wouldn’t advise anyone to try doing. Stiverne could very well wind up walking into a big right hand power shot if he changes Deontay.
Unlike the late great Joe Frazier, Stiverne doesn’t move his head well and he doesn’t move his upper body when he plods forward. Stiverne’s head is kind of a large target and it’s doubtful that Deontay will have any problems hitting it with his right hand.
If you look at the guys that Deontay has seemed a little uncomfortable with as a pro, it’s generally been taller fighters in the 6’4” to 6’7” range. Deontay does very, very well against guys 6’2” or shorter like Stiverne. That’s the perfect height for Deontay to line the Haitian fighter up for his right hand power shots in order to knock him out in the early rounds.
I don’t know if Deontay will KO Stiverne in the 1st round like Atlas says he will, but I definitely see Stiverne getting put out of his misery by the 4th. Deontay fights too quickly when he gets warmed up, and his right hand is going to be clubbing Stiverne in the head and he’s not going to be able to take those shots.
Once Stiverne is stunned and staggering around the ring, Deontay is going to nail him with a big right hand that is going to poleaxe Stiverne and send him face first on the canvas.
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