By Scott Gilfoid: Boxing fans are going to be in for an excellent fight on June 13th between WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (33-0, 32 KOs) and Eric Molina (23-2, 17 KOs). The Wilder-Molina fight was officially announced today, and it will be taking place at the Bartow Arena, in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
This is heavyweight action at it’s finest, as both guys are big, hard hitting and will be looking for a knockout from the moment the bell sounds in the 1st round. Wilder, 6’7”, will be fighting for the first time since his dazzling 12 round unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne four months ago in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It’s going to be tough for Wilder to top the performance in that fight, but I’m sure he’s going to try. Wilder suffered a war wound in the process of beating Stiverne, as he broke his right hand early in the fight.
The injury has healed now, and he’s ready to get back in the ring and start testing his hand. But even if Wilder does suffer an additional injury to his hand, he’ll still be able to fire back with his powerful left hand.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to defend my heavyweight championship in my home state,” Wilder said. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. It was one of my dreams to win a world title. This was my other dream to be able to defend it before all my fans in Alabama. I can’t wait until fight night to step into the ring and see the whole state coming out to support me.”
The 33-year-old Molina is a southpaw with previous wins over capable good heavyweights like Raphael Zumbano Love, Tony Grano, DaVarryl Williamson and Theo Kruger. Molina’s only slipup during his career was a 1st round knockout loss to Chris Arreola several years ago in 2012.
Wilder will have the pleasure of fighting in his home state of Alabama in this fight, and it should be a great motivator for him. The Bartow Arena seats 8,508 fans, and it wouldn’t be surprising at all if the fight sells out.
Wilder has a lot of fans in Alabama. If Wilder can show that he can sellout huge venues in Alabama, it’ll be a great way for him to make good money in the future. He’s not at the level where he can bring that many fans if his fights were staged in Las Vegas or New York. Of course, if Wilder was pitted against a popular fighter like Wladimir Klitschko, he would obviously be able to bring in a massive amount of fans to see the fight.
“So, champ, come prepared for war. I’m coming to kick some ass,” Molina said. “Winning the heavyweight world championship is my dream.”
Molina is going to be extra motivated for this fight because it may be the last time he ever gets a crack at a heavyweight title. If Molina fails to do the job in this fight than he’ll likely not be given another chance because he’s not be facing the kind of opposition that would get him the big fights.
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