Jury still out on Wilder but hope is that he is the man to light up division.
A 31-0 record with all wins coming by way of knockout, a bronze medalist in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and heralded as the second coming of Mike Tyson. There is undoubtedly a significant amount of excitement surrounding Deontay Wilder, but is he really as good his record suggests?
The 28-year-old is understood to be on the cusp of a title fight as he is expected to face the winner of the Chris Arreola and Bermane Stiverne contest for the WBC heavyweight strap.
At 6 foot 7 inches and around 227 pounds, there is no questioning his athleticism, ability, explosiveness and power as he continues to brush aside what is put in front of him and progress up the rankings, which in his defence is all he can do and he does it with aplomb.
However, there is an argument to suggest that the calibre of opposition he has faced thus far has been poor, and it is still unclear as to just how good he is until he begins to fight at a higher level against opponents that hold a real threat.
Malik Scott was the latest victim who was unable to survive beyond the first round in Puerto Rico on Saturday, which incidentally was Wilder’s 18th first-round knockout.
Seemingly now at the stage of his career where he will need to step up a level and face the best in what is still regarded as one of the poorest groups of heavyweights for some time, Wilder must begin to prove his ability against top level competition and continue to mature and gain experience.
There is no question that he is a gifted fighter who is great for the sport as he continues to emerge as a talking point of the heavyweight division. He appears to have ring savvy as well as good combination work to go with the brutal power that he possesses which makes him even more intriguing to the casual fan.
He has captured the imagination of many and talks a great game as he injects some much needed excitement into a division which has lacked real hope and has been crying out for someone as explosive as him for some time.
However, now is the time to put Wilder in with the best and see how he reacts to adversity and increased pressure with either Arreola or Stiverne likely to provide him with his first real test at this level.
British pair Tyson Fury and Dereck Chisora continue to suggest that Wilder’s camp have fallen short in talks over a possible match-up, but with a possible title in his sights the American powerhouse could be on the verge of making that next step to becoming a legitimate great and dismissing the doubts that still remain.
In contrast, there are no doubts over what he is capable of doing for the sport, and as long as Wilder continues to drop bombs, hopefully it will lead to great things in the future.
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