U.S. heavyweight showdown set: Stiverne vs. Wilder
Boxing's heavyweight division has lacked punch in the United States for the last decade or more, but on Jan. 17, that could change.
The two men considered perhaps the best heavyweights in the U.S. and its two biggest punchers will meet on that night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, as hard-hitting WBC champion Bermane Stiverne will defend his title against knockout artist and mandatory challenger Deontay Wilder (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET)
Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs), of Las Vegas, versus Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs), of Tuscaloosa, Ala., is unlikely to go the distance. The fighters have a nearly 95% combined knockout rate. And a mutual dislike of the other.
"I'm expecting a short night because we have bad blood," Wilder said. "I really want to hurt this guy, and I haven't felt this way in a long time. I want to show him this is no joke, this is real. This is business. This is the hurt game and my power is real. I told him that I'll whoop his (butt) and I'm going to keep my promise."
A victory would make Wilder the first U.S.-born heavyweight champion since Shannon Briggs, who captured the WBO title in November 2006 and lost the crown in his first defense.
"This will be a momentous day in heavyweight boxing history," said Don King, Stiverne's promoter. "Just more than 40 years removed from the Rumble in The Jungle with Muhammed Ali and George Foreman, the heavyweights . . . The little guys in boxing are great but it's the heavyweights that have always excited fans the most. Bermane, he's a knockout artist just like Mike Tyson. Wilder, he talks trash but is a good fighter, too. This is a must-see fight. The heavyweights are back and ready to return to glory."
Stiverne, the first Haiti-born boxer to own a heavyweight belt, will be making his first defense of the WBC title he won with a sixth-round technical knockout against Chris Arreola in May. It was Stiverne's second consecutive victory against Arreola and earned him the WBC belt vacated a year ago when Vitali Klitschko retired.
Since suffering his only loss in July 2007 to unheralded Demetrice King, Stiverne, 36, has emerged as one of the world's top heavyweights. He is 12-0-1 in his last 13 starts, 10 of the victories coming by stoppage. Of his 21 KOs, 18 came inside three rounds, 14 were in the first round.
"Don't blink on Jan. 17. I am the heavyweight champion of the world and nobody is going to beat me," Stiverne said. "I'm excited and I'm looking forward to making a statement. Talk is cheap. I do my talking in the ring."
The 6-7 Wilder, 29, is the last U.S. male Olympic medalist (Bronze in Beijing in 2008). He has gone four full rounds just once since turning pro in November 2008. The untested slugger has fought a total of 58 rounds, an average of 1.8 rounds per outing. He's registered 18 knockouts in the first round, eight in the second.
"Now I can make all my dreams come true, I can make it a reality," Wilder said. "America is yearning for a heavyweight world champion. We haven't had a real one since the days of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. Everyone just sits back and remembers the glory days. America has been waiting for their champion and I've arrived."
In March, against what was expected to be his toughest opponent, Wilder knocked out Malik Scott in 96 seconds. He followed that up with a fourth-round technical knockout against Jason Gavern in August. Wilder dropped Gavern in the third and fourth rounds. The referee halted the fight at the end of the fourth.
"I can't help that I always knock my guys out," Wilder said. "It's not my fault I make it look easy. When I knock Stiverne out I don't want to hear any whispers; I don't want to hear people say that he was a bum. I want the world to bow down and praise the heavyweight champion of the world. They have to finally admit that I'm just that good."