By Dan Ambrose: Deontay Wilder is coming to knockout Anthony Joshua, says RingStar promoter Richard Schaefer. He feels that WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (39-0, 38 KOs) is physically and mentally ready to not only beat IBF/WBA champion Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs), but knock him out as well.
Schaefer says Wilder’s recent 1st round knockout of Bermane Stiverne this month was statement to the fans, boxing world and most importantly a statement to Joshua that he’s coming for him now to destroy him.
The Joshua vs. Wilder fight is still in the negotiation period. There’s a very good chance that the two unbeaten heavyweights will face each other in the summer of 2018 after taking a warm-up fight in the first quarter of the year against weaker opposition.
“I think what Deontay Wilder did in his last fight, this was a statement,” said Schaefer to Fighthype in talking about Wilder’s 1st round knockout win over Bermane Stiverne. “It was a statement to the fans, and it was a statement to the boxing world. It was really a statement to Anthony Joshua. ‘Wait, I’m coming for you,’” said Schaefer.
The way that Bermane Stiverne looked, it wasn’t hard for Wilder to make a statement against him. Stiverne, 39, looked fat and out of shape at 254 pounds. Stiverne was overweight, and he was old at nearly 40, and he hadn’t fought in 2 years since putting in an unimpressive performance against journeyman Derric Rossy in November 2015.
Stiverne came into the Rossy fight at 254 pounds as well, and he was dropped by him in the 1st round. Rossy isn’t a big puncher, and yet he still put Stiverne down on the canvas in the 1st. Stiverne wasn’t the same fighter he once was after his loss to Wilder in their first fight in January 2015.
The statement that Wilder made wasn’t much of a statement. It was more of a case of Wilder fighting a guy that was over-the-hill at this point in his career. For Wilder to make a true statement, he would need to obliterate someone like Alexander Povetkin, Luis Ortiz or Dillian Whyte. Those 3 guys would give Wilder a good test. At this point in Stiverne’s boxing career, he didn’t have enough left to give Wilder a suitable fight. Stiverne was a shot fighter in appearance.
“I’ve known Deontay for a long time,” said Schaefer. ”He’s ready physically and mentally. I think if you want to beat Anthony Joshua, you not only need the skills, and the physical attributes, but you also need the mental attributes as well. Deontay is right there. I have no doubt that he’s not only going to win. He’s going to knockout Anthony Joshua,” said Schaefer.
We’ll see if Joshua can take the right hands that Wilder was nailing Stiverne with. If Joshua can take those shots, it’s going to be a hard fight for Wilder, as he’s never shown that he has a good chin. Eric Molina staggered him in their fight in 2015, and Nicolai Firtha had Wilder looking wobbly after hitting him with a hard jab in 2013. Gerald Washington was fighting Wilder to a standstill through the first 4 rounds of their fight in February.
Wilder’s resume is not a good one. His best wins have come against these guys:
• Chris Arreola
• Gerald Washington
• Bermane Stiverne
• Johann Duhaupas
• Artur Szpilka
• Malik Scott
• Audley Harrison
It’s not impossible for Wilder to beat Joshua. It’s just that his resume doesn’t show the kind of wins that would suggest that Wilder will be able to beat Joshua. Neither guy has a great resume, but Joshua has the Olympic gold medal to show that he’s the real deal.
