While the 36-year-old Stiverne has been talking repeatedly about wanting to put a hurting on Deontay and expose him as a fake, Deontay feels that he’s the one who is going to put the aging Stiverne through a great deal of pain before he knocks him out in front of what will likely be a large audience on Showtime.
“I really want to hurt him,” Deontay said about Stiverne. “Either you’re going to get him or he’s going to get you. He’s going to go. There’s been a lot of words about me and my opponent. He’s a boxer, I’m a boxer. Why is no one talking about him? I think this is going to be an eye sparkler for a lot of people. I’m not afraid to talk because I can back it up.”
Both fighters have positive and negatives. Stiverne has an excellent left hook and right hand. He’s also got a nice chin. However, his negatives are his advancing age, his lack of height and his bad habits of fighting with his left hand by his side and resting too much against the ropes.
Those negatives might be enough for Stiverne to get knocked out in this fight, because you can’t beat a guy like Deontay if you’re going to sit with your back against the ropes with your left hand by your waist.
That’s just plain dumb, and if Stiverne hasn’t learned fix those problems after being in the pro game for the last 10 years, I seriously doubt he’ll be able to correct those problems by next Saturday night.
Even if Stiverne comes out fighting the perfect fight without dropping his left hand and retreating to the ropes, it’s only a matter of time before he reverts back to form and starts fighting like he’s always done. Stiverne has always fought this way since his amateur days and he’s not going to stop now that he’s nearing 40-years-old.
Deontay is going to have a huge advantage with his ability to bomb the shorter Stiverne from the outside with tremendous right hands to the head. Stiverne is obviously going to count on his chin to be able to take Deontay’s flush shots to the head, and he’ll be counting on being able to counter him with short left hooks.
The thing is if Deontay’s right hands keep getting there with full impact, it’s doubtful that Stiverne’s left hooks are going to be able to do much. A fighter loses steam on his shots when he’s getting hit with monster right hands to the head. Further, Deontay will be looking out for Stiverne’s left hooks knowing that this is by far his best weapon in his tool box.
Stiverne has a good right hand, but his left hook is easily best weapon. If Deontay can take that weapon away, then Stiverne will be a helpless punching bag on the ropes with his left hanging uselessly by his side while he gets pummeled.
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