https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLvEtHtCQAc
For the first time in boxing history, two heavyweight world title fights will be streamed live on YOUTUBE as SHOWTIME Sports® offers this Saturday’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader on the video-sharing site beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
By Allan Fox: WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs) won’t be getting the big money tonight that we saw from welterweight stars Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao last year with them both making huge money, but he will get a nice paycheck all the same.
Wilder will be getting $1.5 million for his fight against challenger Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Szpilka will be getting considerably less at $250,000. However, Szpilka will be getting extra Polish television money that will bump up his payday.
By Scott Gilfoid: A couple days ago, 26-year-old Polish native Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs) was involved in an altercation that nearly came to blows with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs) in at the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York. While boxing fans believe it was a staged altercation between the two fighters, it doesn’t appear anything was faked between the two.
Szpilka came in close to Deontay when he was trash talking him, and then made the mistake of ramming his head against Deontay. This caused Deontay to take a swipe at Szpilka, which thankfully didn’t lead to an injury for either fighter. It did show that you don’t want to mess around with Deontay, because he’s like a caged lion when an opponent acts aggressively towards him both in and out of the ring.
By Scott Gilfoid: WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs) recognizes there are some boxing fans and different fighters that may not like him, but he says they will need to respect him. You can definitely say that for Deontay’s opponent Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs), who he’ll be facing this Saturday night on Showtime.
Szpilka has already made it clear that he doesn’t like Deontay after getting a dose of his upfront and real personality during the run up to their fight. However, if Szpilka doesn’t respect Deontay when they share the squared circle on Saturday, then he could be in for a great deal of problems, because Deontay Wilder surely put a hurting on him if he’s careless and unthinking.
By Scott Gilfoid: WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs) was outweighed by 11 pounds by challenger Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs) at Friday’s weigh-in for their fight on Showtime Championship Boxing this Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
(Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME®) By Scott Gilfoid: WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman believes that heart rather than size will play a big factor in the clash this Saturday night between WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs) and Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The 6’7” Wilder will have a four-inch height advantage and a six-inch reach advantage over the 6’3” Szpilka when the two of them start trading blows in front of the fans. The weight of the fighters will be pretty much even with both guys coming in around 230lbs; although Szpilka will be a heck of a lot stockier than the trim Deontay.
By Scott Gilfoid: In a sign that we could be seeing a big unification fight later this year, IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) is expected to be ringside this Saturday night for WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder’s title defense against Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Since it’s hard to imagine Fury going through the trouble and the financial expense of traveling to the United States merely to watch the Wilder-Szpilka fight, which will be televised in the UK, it would seem obvious that Fury is scouting out Wilder up close so that he can figure out what it’s like to be in the same ring with the 6’7” talent.
(Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME®) By Allan Fox: Challenger Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs) wants to not only emerge victorious on Saturday night in his title fight against WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs), but to win in a spectacular manner in front of his many Polish fans that will be showing up to give him support at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Szpilka and his trainer Ronnie Shields may not want to admit it, but they may need a knockout for them to win the fight. It’s going to be next to impossible for the shorter 6’3” Szpilka to beat the taller 6’7” Deontay by a decision, because he doesn’t have the same reach or the same boxing skills that Wilder has going for him.
By Scott Gilfoid: Well, IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) is mouthing off again. This time he’s giving the talented WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs) some of his lip, saying he’s got skinny legs, and that he doesn’t know who Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs) is. Fury says he wants to fight Deontay after he beats 39-year-old Wladimir Klitschko a second time.
(Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp/Showtime) By Scott Gilfoid: According to the monstrously powerful WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (35-0, 34 KOs), his opponent Artur Szpilka (20-1, 15 KOs) is in for a world of hurt on Saturday night when they face each other on Showtime Boxing. Deontay is amused that Szpilka has been flapping his gums lately about he’s going to win the fight and show the people how good he is, but Deontay feels that Szpilka is out of his class in their fight.
In other words, Szpilka is fighting WAY above his level in taking this fight with Deontay, and come Saturday night, Szpilka will be exposed in a major way in their clash at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.