By Scott Gilfoid: #3 WBC heavyweight contender Deontay Wilder (31-0, 31 KO’s) says he’d gladly face IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko next if the big 6’6″ Ukrainian is interested in facing him next, according to RingTV. “I would definitely take it,” said Deontay. With his huge punching power and his big 6’7″ size, Deontay will likely be ignored by Wladimir due to the danger involved for the Ukrainian.
Deontay is the mandatory challenger for the WBC belt, so he’ll be getting a crack at the winner of the Bermane Stiverne vs. Chris Arreola fight this year. If Deontay beats the Arreola-Stiverne winner, he’d be the new WBC champ, but he would be in a different lane as Wladimir. There’s a good chance that Wladimir wouldn’t bother trying to unify the belt if Deontay is the WBC champion, because with his huge size, fast hands and one punch power, Deontay is someone who could spoil Wladimir’s party with a single shot.
Wladimir could look great for 5 rounds like he did last night, and still end up getting knocked out once Deontay hits him solid for the first time in the fight. That’s how powerful Deontay is. But I don’t think it would take 5 rounds for Deontay to land one of his huge right hands or left hooks to the head of Wladimir, so it’s quite possible Deontay would knock him out in one or two rounds the way he’s been doing with his other opponents since he turned pro.
I think it’s pretty obvious that Wladimir won’t pick Deontay out for his next fight this year, even though it would bring in huge television ratings in Germany. This would be Wladimir’s first real quality opponent since his loss to Corrie Sanders back in 2003. Sanders destroyed Wladimir in 2 rounds, and he never avenged the loss. It’s likely that the only way Deontay gets a fight against Wladimir is if he forgets about going after the WBC belt, and instead concentrates on becoming the mandatory challenger for Wladimir’s IBF, WBA or WBO title straps.
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