By Erhan Bora: In a hypothetical match up, the question posed here is who will reign supreme for years to come in the heavyweight division? Without discrediting the attributes of Tyson Fury, Vyacheslav Glazkov, Joseph Parker and the other contenders who may wish to crash the party, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder have to be the top two prospects within the weight category.
What the two have in common are that they are many doubters over their real talent due to the weak opponents that they have faced. Deontay has faced a real strong former champ in the shape of Bermane Stiverne, and did a real number on him, but apart from that neither fighter has faced a strong opponent. In the case of Joshua, it is reasonable to argue that he is still a young fighter and needs to be eased into the division, but with him absolutely destroying every single fighter he has faced you have to prompt Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport to put him in with a dangerous fighter. He has been penciled in to face Dillian Whyte at the end of the year, a fighter who beat him and put him down in the amateurs. Whyte has been put in with very weak opposition up to now and had to sit out the sport for two years after a drugs ban, so his credentials as a top opponent is under scrutiny. While Hearn has been putting in his fighter with weak opposition, he has been televised on Britain’s sky sports and showcased all over the isles, which in turn has shaped Joshua as a real favorite among the casuals. Deontay’s following is slowly building in the US, with him being dubbed the first American heavyweight since 2006, adding a lot of color to the canvas.
Joshua is doing a great job with the casuals and to a degree so is Wilder, with the latter proclaiming that his star power will eclipse that of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Time will tell, but what we saw in the buildup and subsequence press releases after the Stiverne/Wilder clash, was that he was not a slick talker or did not possess the real charisma of Floyd. The tag and shouting of ‘bomb squad’ has a real Adrien Broner-esque tone to it, and you would have to question whether he can emulate let alone eclipse the popularity of Mayweather. Joshua himself seems a bit monotone and robotic in interviews and is a cast-iron role model. His promoter Eddie Hearn, has said that in the Whyte v Joshua the fans will see a different side of Joshua, and has tagged him as a ‘bad guy trying to be good’. This remains to be seen, but to really sell yourself as a fighter you need a certain charisma or character especially as a heavyweight. Wladimir Klitschko has been labelled a boring fighter, but when he has come to mind games with the likes of David Haye he has more than held his own, giving back as good as he receives. It is not a wild accusation to say that fighters in today’s game really struggle with the mind games and hype talk before fights. From what we have seen of both Wilder and Joshua you would have to say the same, and this aspect is what really sells a fighter to the masses. Regardless of talent or match ups, you could say that Wilder vs Briggs and Fury vs Joshua will be somewhat more entertaining in terms of buildup, with Fury’s sharp tongue and fearless vocabulary and Briggs’ comical antics, adding a lot more to the show. I really hope Wilder gets in with someone who tests his mental calmness and we see a dynamic slick talking American heavyweight, and that Joshua reveals a nasty side in the build up to the fight with Dillian Whyte and that he has really been ‘faking it’ as a nice guy so far.
In terms of mutual opponents, they have both faced an out of shape third tier fighter in Jason Gavern with Joshua dealing with him slightly quicker and more effectively than Wilder, but with the short notice and travelling to the UK you would have to argue that means nothing. It terms of skills, Wilder is somewhat of a slick boxer with good power and Joshua has tremendous power but he hasn’t been able to showcase his skills due to the level of his opponents. Both fighters have real question marks over their talent and their charisma, and this fight may have to be built over the years following Klitschko’s retirement or demise. With Joshua being ranked WBC#2 you can see him being ordered to face the WBC champion Deontay Wilder sooner rather than later. Many are anticipating Wilder’s first mandatory fight with WBC #1 Alexander Povetkin, but his lack of size has Wilder with a few advantages over the Russian powerhouse. As long as he gets through that clash it would been reasonable to assume he would fight Joshua within 18 months in what could be a tantalizing clash between Britain and the US in what many say is the most exciting division.
Both fighters require a step up in opposition, the likes of Eric Molina and Kevin Johnson are not acceptable for champions and highly ranked fighters. With Joshua he has some real good domestic opponents who can sell out many arenas in the UK such as Price, Fury, Haye, Whyte and perhaps Chisora, whereas the domestic competition for Wilder is somewhat less appealing for an American audience. Although the home crowd may welcome a clash with Arreola, but his efforts in training and level of performance in big fights have left him with many critics. Bryant Jennings and Shannon Briggs also provide some level of interest, but the resurgence of the heavyweight division is far from full effect. With Klitschko holding three of the four belts, it is possible to see a unified champion for years to come, unless he retires and the governing body carry on to destroy the sport and put on three different title fights and carve up the division. The unlimited weight may weight heavy on the shoulders of the fighters in years to come to see whom may reign supreme.
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