Written by Gabriel Princewill
All 28 of his opponents have failed to hear the final bell, in fact none of them has gone beyond four rounds. Huge, raw, and powerful, 28 year Deonter Wilder cuts a formidable figure and is being touted as America’s heavyweight hope. Only last month, the athletic 6ft 7 inches boxer demolished the much vilified Audley Harrison in just 70 seconds, eclipsing the promising David Price who sparked Harrison out in 82 seconds, and former WBA champion, David Haye, who battered Harrison to submission after 3 rounds in their much hyped world title fight two years ago.
Whether Harrison is a useful yardstick for measuring Wilder’s prospect is debatable, but even the most subjective evaluation of this knockout artist would conclude him to be an intriguing and welcome inclusion to the new breeds of heavyweights in this day. The sour division has long been begging for an outstanding and compelling star, with qualities distinguishable from that provided by the dominance of the Klitschko brothers. This is because despite the long and incontestable reign of the intelligent PHD Ukranians, they have failed to capture the imagination of the public in any manner comparable to the likes of Muhammed Ali or Mike Tyson. The sports premiere division needs a dynamite ruler who captivate the minds and hearts of even the casual fan, and the Klitschko’s unfortunately do not presently have the requiste ingredients for that position. The brothers are nevertheless gentleman models of the sport with impeccable dignity, but this is something different.
However, Wilder tantalizingly wets our appetite with a hope of an anticipated second coming of Mike Tyson, and a glimpse of what to expect, although the padded record on his resume still provides food for his relatively few detractors. A potential step up with Britain’s all out fighter, Derek Chisora, was recently aborted following an arrest in the States that prevents him from leaving the country whilst his case is pending. This would have been a fairly intriguing clash, and a worthwhile step up for Wilder who is yet to prove himself against notable opposition. It suffices to say, I believe the American would have prevailed in an entertaining clash. The American has frequently called out Britain’s Tyson Fury, yet vain is an attempt to call out a fighter considerably higher up the ranks than oneself, particularly when the one being called out is on the verge of a world title fight. Wilder has other options in America which he ought to explore before calling out fighters beyond his reach.
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Unquestionably a clash with Fury, who at 6ft 9 inches is just 2 inches taller would be entertaining, but the American ought to pursue other fighters with impressive records. Given Derek Chisora’s recent signature to meet unbeaten Malik Scott, a pertinent question is why Wilder has not attempted to fight Scott himself. Wilder may look promising now, but he needs to promise us he will begin to fight credible opposition so we have a more qualitative basis of assessing his mettle. As things stand, Britains upcoming fighters in Tyson Fury, David Price, and Derek Chisora have all faced better opposition than Wilder, despite the impeccable semblance of the American’s record. In fact, should Price avenge the defeat in the hands of Tony Thompson in their rematch next month, the Brit would be a more legitimate name than the touted America. Wilder is still a force to reckon with, one whose career has been carefully orchestrated by his handlers, and who may yet take the world by storm when he steps up. The step up needs to happen first though, before we can wax lyrical about his prospect as a potential saving grace for the long dying division.
Wilder’s Record Winning Victory
Written by Gabriel Princewill
American hope, Deontey Wilder, brutally disposed of Malik Scott in 94 seconds, stretching his impeccable and formidable record to 31 knockouts out of 31 fights. This was indeed an explosive display typical of his previous 30 knock outs- one elevating him to the higher echelons of a sour division in dire need of a dominant star. Wilder, who is cut like a brick, tattooed almost from head to toe, looked the re-incarnation of iron Mike Tyson in his hey day with that master class finish.
The ostensible phantom punch immediately led to cries of a ‘fix’ in some quarters, but a closer look via replay clearly shows the damage caused by his swift powerful punches. In his usual jubilant style, Wilder was quick to flaunt his impressive victory, saying ‘I am blessed, I have crazy power man. I will be at the next fight between Stiverne and Arreola, so they can see who they will be fighting next”. I am coming to bring the belts back to America, I want to unify all the belts”.
There has been much criticism about the development of Wilder, who has been brought along very carefully by his handlers. Yet, the brutal and decisive finish that accompany all of his fights currently makes him the biggest hope of saving a dying division. At 6 foot 7 1/2inches, Wilder packs a punch so hard that none of his opponents have gone beyond 4 rounds. A bronze medalist at the 2004 Olympics, the muscular American is on the precipice of a world title shot at the crown and may just be the man to re-ignite the sort of excitement since Mike Tyson brought to the sport in the 80’s and 90’s. Wilder is 8 years older than Tyson was when he captured the WBC title in 1986 and had eleven more fights than the perfect 20 fight record Iron Mike had amassed when he captured the belts and imprinted his mark on the sport.
Scott had previously lost just one fight out of 37 fights to Britain’s Derek Chisora when controversially stopped in 6 thrilling rounds which Chisora was losing marginally up until then. Wilder made this assignment look a lot easier than it was perceived to be by observers, and with the test certainly stiffer at the next and most important stage, there will be plenty of interest to see how he fares there. I agree with most that he has not really been tested yet, but must say in equal measure he is progressively resembling the iconic figure in the sports premiere division the world has been waiting for. Once he captures a version of the heavyweight title, only Wladimir Klitschko will stand between him and the emergence of new era in heavyweight boxing. That will be a clash worth waiting for.
British Boxing Board open Purse bids for Price and Chisora Clash- bad timing for Price?
Written by Gabriel Princewill
The British Boxing Board of control has interestingly ordered purse bids between newly crowned European champion Derek Chisora and fallen hope, David Price.
Chisora who recently won the European title after a thrilling but controversial 6th round triumph over unbeaten American Malik Scott is on the high right now.
Price by comparison was the country’s hope of an emerging British heavyweight star until he crumbled twice in the hands of veteran Tony Thompson.
Entereing the fight with 15 straight wins(13KO’s), the huge athletic Liverpullian was favoured to win but got decked in the second round of their first fight in Liverpool. Thompson who had only lost 3 times with two of those losses coming in the hands of reigning king Wladimir Klitschko, was a risky pick and proved to be better than Price. The shock defeat was subsequently called a freak by Price and his team, only for the American to repeat the conquest leaving Price with eggs on his face.
Price is a true gentleman of the sport with considerable power in his arsenal, but clearly bit more than he could chew in selcting Thompson.
He had been chasing for a much clamoured fight with Tyson Fury, but unfortunately came unstuck with Thompson. The second loss was even more convincing as Price seemed to lack the resilience to fend off the American who ushered an onslaught on the 6 ft 8 inches Liverpullion to convincingly stop him on his 30th birthday. A subsequent express of interest to face unbeaten prospect Deontey Wilder was ill adviced especially when just coming from such a massive set back.
Wilder is a power house who has been protected and whilst Price’s determination to rise above the set back is admirable, he should be protected from going near
Wilder anytime soon.
Yet a fight with Chisora would be thrilling and intriguing, though I think Price ought to swallow his shattered pride and go a bit slower.
Chisora is very fit and industrious, though Price’s huge power and long reach could counteract the Londoner’s tenacity and decent skill.
This would be a good show should it materialise, though Chisora would have the psychological advantage of not wanting to lose to a man beaten twice by a world class American who has now lost 4 times in his career, albeit to good opposition. Although Price will have a point to prove, which he may indeed prove, the chances are that he would be more nervous than Chisora which is why he ought to go slower first. Why not fight someone like Kevin Johnson or someone less potent than Chisora. If Price takes this fight and losses, he would be a complete write off. If he wins well, he could redeem himself. The prospect of a good pay day may blight his judgement in deciding whether to take this fight, but it may just pay off if he pulls it off. Let’s wait and see if it happens
Written by Gabriel Princewill
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His two fights against Mikkel Kessler unquestionably shows his deep resolve and resolute spirit in the ring, but his claims to be the next best fighter since Lennox Lewis are unsubstantiated. A fighters legacy is avowedly defined by the longevity of their success coupled with the standard of opposition faced during the tenure of their reign. Froch hasn’t yet defended his title for a sustainable period and has upcoming prospects in James Degale and George Groves clamouring for a fight with the exciting supper middleweight. A proposal of £2.5m to fight Nathan Cleverly at a catchweight has also been swiftly rejected by the cobra who must eventually accept and prevail in all the aforementioned fights before he can blow his trumpet as loud as he is currently doing. Undoubtedly, both Degale and Groves will have to earn their aspired shot at the title and whatever the conviction of the two aspiring contenders, until they share the ring the Froch there is nothing to definitively or even persuasively suggest they have the beating of the never waning and newly crowned WBC champion.
In this day and age, it is often difficult to decipher fighters who want a big title shot for the sake of a good pay day, from those who genuinely believe they will win. Even then, subjective belief doesn’t always equate factual reality, only in retrospect of a good victory is the noise making of a boxer long before they have earned their shot justified.
Their is no question Froch provides value for money and has had to dig deep to win important fights in his career. Currently holding the WBC belt wrested from the loins of a proven contender and former champion, Froch is one fighter who often walks the walk of his talk. His quest to fight Andre Ward, a former conqueror of his, is also an admirable step in the right direction which could catapult the Mecunian to the summit of his game in the event of a convincing victory. It could equally go wrong for Froch because Ward is formidable fighter with exemplary abilities in the ring. A victory over ward would elevate Froch to new heights, leaving an arduous challenge for either Degale or Groves to overcome.
James Degale would be wise to remember the level of confidence , if not arrogance, exhibited before his first fight against Groves which he narrowly lost. Viewing from ringside, I thought Degale narrowly won the fight, nevertheless the bravado and confidence exhibited by Degale failed to match the performance when it came to the crunch. The judges were unconvinced, and the technic marshalled out by Grove’s trainer Adam Booth paid off for results. Groves himself may want to learn from that experience and tread carefully, considering the transition in class a fight with the cobra would command . Quite conceivably, both Degale and Groves can generate the requirements to ask Froch some important questions should they clash in the foreseeable future, but whilst Froch prepares for a tough assignment against Ward, and the potential prospect of subsequently facing Nathan Cleverly, Degale- GrovesII might actually be the fight that tells us who deserves the opportunity to step up for the inheritance of Carl Froch’s mantle. That is assuming Froch remains available for their challenge!
Written by Gabriel Princewill
The British Boxing Board of control has interestingly ordered purse bids between newly crowned European champion Derek Chisora and fallen hope, David Price.
Chisora who recently won the European title after a thrilling but controversial 6th round triumph over unbeaten American Malik Scott is on the high right now.
Price by comparison was the country’s hope of an emerging British heavyweight star until he crumbled twice in the hands of veteran Tony Thompson.
Entereing the fight with 15 straight wins(13KO’s), the huge athletic Liverpullian was favoured to win but got decked in the second round of their first fight
in Liverpool. Thompson who had only lost 3 times with two of those losses coming in the hands of reigning king Wladimir Klitschko, was a risky pick and proved
to be better than Price. The shock defeat was subsequently called a freak by Price and his team, only for the American to repeat the conquest leaving Price with
eggs on his face.
Price is a true gentleman of the sport with considerable power in his arsenal, but clearly bit more than he could chew in selcting Thompson.
He had been chasing for a much clamoured fight with Tyson Fury, but unfortunately came unstuck with Thompson. The second loss was even more convincing
as Price seemed to lack the resilience to fend off the American who ushered an onslaught on the 6 ft 8 inches Liverpullion to convincingly stop him on his 30th
birthday. A subsequent express of interest to face unbeaten prospect Deontey Wilder was ill adviced especially when just coming from such a massive set back.
Wilder is a power house who has been protected and whilst Price’s determination to rise above the set back is admirable, he should be protected from going near
Wilder anytime soon.
Yet a fight with Chisora would be thrilling and intriguing, though I think Price ought to swallow his shattered pride and go a bit slower.
Chisora is very fit and industrious, though Price’s huge power and long reach could counteract the Londoner’s tenacity and decent skill.
This would be a good show should it materialise, though Chisora would have the psychological advantage of not wanting to lose to a man beaten twice
by a world class American who has now lost 4 times in his career, albeit to good opposition. Although Price will have a point to prove, which he may indeed
prove, the chances are that he would be more nervous than Chisora which is why he ought to go slower first. Why not fight someone like Kevin Johnson or
someone less potent than Chisora. If Price takes this fight and losses, he would be a complete write off. If he wins well, he could redeem himself. The prospect
of a good pay day may blight his judgement in deciding whether to take this fight, but it may just pay off if he pulls it off. Let’s wait and see if it happens
Boxing Heartache for Harrison
Written by Gabriel Princewell
After 13 years of empty promises and endless disappointments, Audley Harrison’s career has surely come to a conclusive end. A one sided battering in the hands of American knock out artist, Deontey Wilder, has laid bare the eventual destiny of the 41 year old Harrison. Having predictably made light work of Harrison in 70 seconds, the 2000 Sydney gold medallist finally admits he is at the end of the road.
We now know for sure that hose several assertions all these years he made about being destined to be world champion were as fatally erroneous as his delusional inclinations. A masterful salesman who could sell snow to the Eskimos, Harrison would be world champion if there were a sport called talking. He always talked the talk but never walked the walk. More disturbing is the plausible view Harrison knew his limitations all along. Shambolic knock out defeats in the hands of David Haye and David Price surely put a ceiling to the lofty aspirations he pretentiously declared to the public. Does anyone truly believe Harrison genuinely thought he would beat David Price who was a rising star with high KO ratio?No chance!Harrison undertook a risk/benefit analysis, and went for the pecuniary benefits of the latter just like he did against Haye two years earlier.
Harrison, who told the press before his fight with Haye in 2010, ‘im ready to go, no excuses’, would subsequently claim to have gone into the fight with a lingering injury, courtesy of the ‘money on the table’. Money has evidently been the driving force of the 6ft 6inches North West Londoner, who is intelligent enough to know his fighting arsenal is characterised by an alarming level of inertia, and that he does not inevitably belong to the elites of this relatively weak division. Even the most daft of casual fans would have known Harrison would stand little chance against an unbeaten powerhouse like Deontey Wilder. Wilder had already knocked Harrison down in sparring, so the Londoner knew what to expect. Nevertheless, the offer of good money was too much for Harrison to resist. In a compelling interview with Steve Bunce in his ‘Bunce’s hour’ show, Harrison after winning Prize fighter for the second time, stated the need for him to spend time with his family given the expectation of their second child with his lovely wife, Rachael, and that he wouldn’t be fighting any time soon. All that would change the moment an opportunity for the next big pay day came along.
One would like to think Harrison is financially secure in light of his £1m pay deal at the start of his career and other pay cheques for fights after that, particularly the staggering £1m he got for throwing one meaningless punch against Haye in 2010. Notwithstanding, without full knowledge of his lifestyle, or his financial ambitions, it is impossible to weigh up his quest for money. What we know is world class prize fighting is certainly not for him, it never has. Indeed Harrison may have comfortably disposed of third tier fighters in this year’s Prize fighter competition, but that triumph in no way elevated him to the company of world class prospects, the likes of Deontey Wilder. In reality, Harrison ought to have been combing his way through the likes of John Mcdermott, or more established fighters than Wilder like Chisora, who though more acclaimed than Wilder, has less power ,and is less dangerous. Trouble is this would have been substantially for less pay than what he was offered to engage the American in what was essentially a circus show with no element of real competition in it.
Wilder progresses to 28 knockouts in as many fights, but is yet to be tested. His call for Britain’s Tyson Fury is all but vain, for he knows Fury is one fight away from a potential clash with Wladimir Klitschko and would not fight him. If he wanted to fight Fury, he ought to have been fighting better opposition by now. The unbeaten 27 year old whilst raw, looks promising but until he faces real opposition, he may just be another product of hype coming from the American shores. With his impeccable record and excellent physical definition, Wilder needs to venture into the wild of the heavyweight division and test himself with credible opponents, rather than present the world with a padded record devoid of quality names. The fact he eclipsed both David Price and David Haye in the speed with which he got rid of Harrison makes him an intriguing fighter to keep an eye on, but record breaking times for disposing of Audley Harrison may not be too hard for heavyweight prospects to achieve.
With all this nonsensical charade of the A force now over, we can wish Harrison good luck in his business life which will surely have far more prospects of success than his boxing career. We can remember the fact he avenged the dull affair against Danny Williams with a 3round KO, as well as the stunning last minute KO that put Michael Sprott to bed in their rematch. We can hold on to the fact he eventually admitted he was responsible for his own failures, and kept coming back from the claws of defeat like a man with many lives. and often found a door open. We are glad he now recognizes he has gone through the last door. He may always be remembered as Fraudley, but at least he paved the way for the future of amateur boxing and got financially rewarded big time for the professional circus that followed.After 13 years of empty promises and endless disappointments, Audley Harrison’s career has surely come to a conclusive end. A one sided battering in the hands of American knock out artist, Deontey Wilder, has laid bare the eventual destiny of the 41 year old Harrison. Having predictably made light work of Harrison in 70 seconds, the 2000 Sydney gold medallist finally admits he is at the end of the road.
We now know for sure that hose several assertions all these years he made about being destined to be world champion were as fatally erroneous as his delusional inclinations. A masterful salesman who could sell snow to the Eskimos, Harrison would be world champion if there were a sport called talking. He always talked the talk but never walked the walk. More disturbing is the plausible view Harrison knew his limitations all along. Shambolic knock out defeats in the hands of David Haye and David Price surely put a ceiling to the lofty aspirations he pretentiously declared to the public. Does anyone truly believe Harrison genuinely thought he would beat David Price who was a rising star with high KO ratio?No chance!Harrison undertook a risk/benefit analysis, and went for the pecuniary benefits of the latter just like he did against Haye two years earlier.
Harrison, who told the press before his fight with Haye in 2010, ‘im ready to go, no excuses’, would subsequently claim to have gone into the fight with a lingering injury, courtesy of the ‘money on the table’. Money has evidently been the driving force of the 6ft 6inches North West Londoner, who is intelligent enough to know his fighting arsenal is characterised by an alarming level of inertia, and that he does not inevitably belong to the elites of this relatively weak division. Even the most daft of casual fans would have known Harrison would stand little chance against an unbeaten powerhouse like Deontey Wilder. Wilder had already knocked Harrison down in sparring, so the Londoner knew what to expect. Nevertheless, the offer of good money was too much for Harrison to resist. In a compelling interview with Steve Bunce in his ‘Bunce’s hour’ show, Harrison after winning Prize fighter for the second time, stated the need for him to spend time with his family given the expectation of their second child with his lovely wife, Rachael, and that he wouldn’t be fighting any time soon. All that would change the moment an opportunity for the next big pay day came along.
One would like to think Harrison is financially secure in light of his £1m pay deal at the start of his career and other pay cheques for fights after that, particularly the staggering £1m he got for throwing one meaningless punch against Haye in 2010. Notwithstanding, without full knowledge of his lifestyle, or his financial ambitions, it is impossible to weigh up his quest for money. What we know is world class prize fighting is certainly not for him, it never has. Indeed Harrison may have comfortably disposed of third tier fighters in this year’s Prize fighter competition, but that triumph in no way elevated him to the company of world class prospects, the likes of Deontey Wilder. In reality, Harrison ought to have been combing his way through the likes of John Mcdermott, or more established fighters than Wilder like Chisora, who though more acclaimed than Wilder, has less power ,and is less dangerous. Trouble is this would have been substantially for less pay than what he was offered to engage the American in what was essentially a circus show with no element of real competition in it.
Wilder progresses to 28 knockouts in as many fights, but is yet to be tested. His call for Britain’s Tyson Fury is all but vain, for he knows Fury is one fight away from a potential clash with Wladimir Klitschko and would not fight him. If he wanted to fight Fury, he ought to have been fighting better opposition by now. The unbeaten 27 year old whilst raw, looks promising but until he faces real opposition, he may just be another product of hype coming from the American shores. With his impeccable record and excellent physical definition, Wilder needs to venture into the wild of the heavyweight division and test himself with credible opponents, rather than present the world with a padded record devoid of quality names. The fact he eclipsed both David Price and David Haye in the speed with which he got rid of Harrison makes him an intriguing fighter to keep an eye on, but record breaking times for disposing of Audley Harrison may not be too hard for heavyweight prospects to achieve.
With all this nonsensical charade of the A force now over, we can wish Harrison good luck in his business life which will surely have far more prospects of success than his boxing career. We can remember the fact he avenged the dull affair against Danny Williams with a 3round KO, as well as the stunning last minute KO that put Michael Sprott to bed in their rematch. We can hold on to the fact he eventually admitted he was responsible for his own failures, and kept coming back from the claws of defeat like a man with many lives. and often found a door open. We are glad he now recognizes he has gone through the last door. He may always be remembered as Fraudley, but at least he paved the way for the future of amateur boxing and got financially rewarded big time for the professional circus that followed.
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