By Charles Brun: Deontay ‘Bronze Bomber’ Wilder is now ranked #1 in Ring Magazine’s updated top 10 boxing rankings after knocking out Robert Helenius in the first round on October 15th.
The Ring Magazine’s current champion is Oleksandr Usyk. WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury gave up his Ring belt, so he’s not part of the listing. It would be interesting to know Fury’s thoughts on Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) being ranked #1 by Ring Magazine.
It’s fair to say that the improvements that the 6’7″ Wilder has made in his game since his loss to Fury last year in October would make the fourth fight between them a 50-50 affair.
Wilder trimmed down from the 230s that he weighed for his last two fights with Fury, and he’s more mobile than at any time in his career. Given the improvements in Deontay’s game, he might be the best overall heavyweight in the division and even better than Fury.
Champ – Oleksandr Usyk
1: Deontay Wilder
2: Anthony Joshua
3: Joe Joyce
4: Andy Ruiz Jr
5: Dillian Whyte
6: Luis Ortiz
7: Joseph Parker
8: Filip Hrgovic
9: Frank Sanchez
10: Zhilei Zhang
What enabled Fury to beat Wilder twice, besides the questionable long count in the third contest, was his being stationary, which allowed Tyson to use his 270+ lb weight to lean on him.
Wilder was weakened by all the leaning, not to mention the illegal rabbit punches that Fury landed. Despite all this, you can argue that Wilder should have won the first and the third fights by knockout.
Deontay had Fury knocked out in both of those fights, but the referee’s decisions in those contests saved the ‘Gypsy King’ from being stopped.
“Vicious right hand. He’s got the power,” said Oscar De La Hoya to Fight Hub TV, reacting to Deontay’s first round knockout of Helenius. “I promoted him for 30-something fights. He’s always had the power; he’s always had the charisma. Great guy and a great ambassador for boxing. I love him.
“His head is in the right place, and his heart is bigger than anything. His heart and his head, it’s only the beginning for him, let me tell you,” said De La Hoya.
“I expected that. Deontay Wilder is Deontay Wilder,” said WBC interim 154-lb champion Sebastian Fundora. “Besides Tyson Fury, I think he is the heavyweight king.
“His power is so explosive, and he’s so fast. There are a lot more fights. I want to see him fight Anthony Joshua. That’s an exciting fight, and that’ll definitely push him back up there again.”
With consecutive losses to Usyk, Anthony Joshua is #2 and should be ranked a heck of a lot lower than that.
Unbeaten Joe Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) should be ranked higher than Joshua, especially given his impressive 11th round knockout victory over former WBO champion Joseph Parker on September 24th.
Wilder would like the opportunity to challenge Usyk for his IBF, WBA & WBO titles, but that won’t happen next unless he’s unable to negotiate a fight with Fury. Usyk says that after he gets rid of Fury, he’d be interested in fighting Deontay next.
Of course, Fury will probably push for a rematch with Usyk, making it unlikely that Wilder will get a shot at the four titles until after they battle a second time.