Wilder Will Become One of the Greats

Deontay Wilder will become one of the greats in boxing.

I think he’s the heavyweight that will bring all the world titles back to the United States.

After Wilder stops Luiz “King Kong” Ortiz in the second, maybe the third round on Saturday night at Barclays in Brooklyn, he will eventually fight Anthony Joshua.

And Joshua won’t be able to take Wilder’s punishment. Joshua will run, but there’s no escaping the Bronze Bomber.

I wouldn’t say Wilder is Tysonesque because Wilder and Mike Tyson’s styles differ vastly. The one thing these fighters have in common? That come straight at every opponent to knock them out and destroy them in the ring.

Wilder’s got one of the most unconventional and explosive right hands I, or the fight game, have ever seen.

Wilder’s right hand comes from so much higher and over the top of any other fighter that it has to be called an overHEAD right.

Can a fighter even train to defend against an overHEAD right?

Wilder’s left jab is more powerful than most fighters’ left hands. His uppercuts inside are explosive.

Wilder’s jab is reminiscent of some fighters’ left hands. He’s that strong.

Sure fighters will run from him. They can try to hold. But trying and doing vs. Wilder is another aspect of boxing strategy. There is no way to get close enough to Wilder without getting popped from over the top.

Personally, I can’t compare Wilder to any fighter I’ve ever watched in 30 years in the heavyweight division.

And it’s not just because at 6-foot-7, everything Wilder does is bigger and more explosive than his opponents.

I think Riddick Bowe, George Foreman, Razor Ruddock, both Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, had remarkable power, and size. But at their weights, they didn’t have the speed Wilder does.

Holyfield had power, speed and skill beyond most fighters. And he never stopped coming at the Goliaths he faced in the ring.

Of course, James Toney’s jaw is the best in the heavyweight division: he’s never been knocked out.

But Deontay Wilder is nothing but natural raw power, intensity and speed. If you wonder about his ability to go the distance? Just watch his 11^th round TKO vs. Johann Duhaupas.

Wilder’s got more than a 7-foot wingspan and a 39-0, 38 KOs record. He beats Luis “King Kong” Ortiz in every category.

There may be one fighter who could withstand Wilder. But there are a lot of issues standing in the way of Tyson Fury’s return to the ring. I think that if Fury was really coming back, he would have done it by now.

Why Fury? Size and power. If these two giants fought, there would be a heavyweight battle to entertain and draw considerable fight fans back into the game. And aggravating boxing purists who long for the days of the Klitschko brothers’ reigns.

Welcome to boxing where anything and everything can happen and usually does. Enjoy the fight.

Undercard: Jose Uzcategui vs. Andre Dirrell II

I’m not a fan of fight rematches unless some ring, scoring or other boxing shenanigans come into play that stopped the better fighter from winning.

That said, Jose Uzcategui’s late punches don’t play into the outcome of  Uzcategui vs. Dirrell I because Dirrell lost the first fight. Dirrell was the lesser talent.

Uzcategui was DQ’d for his inability to control his fists after the bell.

This fight will end in a TKO or KO of Dirrell. Uzcategui will win by 8th.

Next Big Fight Night: Joshua vs. Parker

Anthony Joshua (20-0, 20 KOs) vs. Joseph Parker (24-0, 24 KOs), Principality Stadium Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, March 31.