Deontay Wilder vs. Bermane Stiverne: A New Era in Heavyweight Boxing

[Renew Deal]

Saturday, Jan. 17, Bermane Stiverne (24-1-1, 21 KOs) will defend his WBC heavyweight title against the dynamic American Deontay Wilder (32-0, 32 KOs).

This fight is receiving more publicity and attention than any other heavyweight bout in recent history. Both men provide entertaining bouts that typically end in knockouts. Stiverne has an 80 percent KO rating, and Wilder has a 100 percent KO rating. He has the longest KO streak in heavyweight boxing history.

But people don't just want to see this fight because of its seemingly inevitable knockout conclusion. This fight has symbolic purpose: the hope of a restored faith in heavyweight boxing.

Wladimir Klitschko (63-3, 53 KOs) has had a stranglehold on the heavyweight division over the last 10 years. He has dominated his opposition in that time, but general opinion tends to view his opposition as weak. Other than Klitschko, there hasn't been a heavyweight that has excited the public—until now.
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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2327889-deontay-wilder-vs-bermane-stiverne-a-new-era-in-heavyweight-boxing

[H2O Man]

1. Good article!

Recommended.

This is the type of fight -- at least on paper -- that has the very real potential to ignite interest in the heavyweight division. That is important, because just as boxing, far more than any other sport, is connected to the larger social-political world, the heavyweight division has long had the closest association with socio-political events.

The heavyweight championship tends to reflect society. Jack Dempsey and the Roaring 20s; the great Joe Louis and the WW2 era; Ali and the 1960s. That list goes on and on.

The Klitschko brothers, while technically very good fighters, have had less appeal in the United States than left-over lima beans. More, they have very rarely been challenged in any meaningful way. That's not intended as a knock on them. Rather, it is the reality of the heavyweight division for the past decade.

Stiverne is an intelligent, but shy individual, who doesn't create a great deal of energy outside the ring. And, as a talented counter-puncher, his fights tend to be exciting to the exact extent his opponent presses him in the ring.

Wilder, on the other hand, is an outgoing fellow outside of the ring. More, he is "must see" in the squared-circle: his punching-power is so explosive, that he can end any fight at any second. Despite this, he is vulnerable to getting hurt himself. It's that willingness to roll the dice that makes him far, far more entertaining an athlete than the Klitschko brothers or Stiverne.

Add to that the fact that the great sport's experts -- and I do not mean the Vegas odds-makers or the casual fans -- recognize that this is a very even fight on paper. A very solid case can be made for either man knocking the other out. The only thing that would seem highly unlikely is for this bout to go 12 full rounds.

[Renew Deal]

2. Here's the fight, for as long as it lasts.