De La Hoya to step Deontay Wilder up against some talented fighters in 2013

By Boxing News - 12/17/2012 - Comments

wilder54By Scott Gilfoid: Oscar De La Hoya wants to step the talented unbeaten heavyweight prospect up against some excellent fighters in 2013 to see how Wilder reacts. De La Hoya wants to see if Wilder can handle the adversity of being in the ring with someone that is trying to take his head off in the same way the he’s trying to take there, but most of all De La Hoya wants to see whether Wilder has the talent to become a world champion someday. The best way to do that is to put him in with a top 15 contender to see how he reacts.

De La Hoya said to RingTV “It’s time for him [Wilder] to have a taste of hostile territory. It’s time for him to step it up, which we’re going to do. We have to take him out of his element. Deontay needs to be in there with a guy that’s going to push him back.”

De La Hoya wants to know how Wilder will react when he faces someone that can take his huge shots and come back with some of his own big punches.

I think it might take some doing to find someone that can actually take Wilder’s huge shots, so I hope De La Hoya is prepared to wait for the rest of next year to find someone that can stand up to Wilder’s punches because I don’t see anyone being able to take his power. Wilder hits too hard for most fighters to go 12 rounds with him.

That’s the problem right there. Wilder may not pretty with his ring movement, and lack of a jab, but he’s so strong that he just knocks you out once he lands. You don’t need a jab or a left hook to be successful. Look at WBA super bantamweight champion Guillermo Rigondeaux. He only uses his left hand and rarely throws anything with his right, and he doesn’t throw jabs, yet he’s still hugely successful.

Unbeaten heavyweight Bryant Jennings is being mentioned as a possible opponent for Wilder in early 2013. That’s a good fight for Wilder because Jennings will be all over him trying to score a knockout.



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